ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -In “The Defence of Poetry” 1821, Shelley claimed that “poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world".

Detailed explanation-2: -"Unacknowledged Legislators of the World": The Poetry and Politics of Percy Shelley. Shelley’s assertion that “poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world” is the clearest illustration of his belief that imaginative practice and political activism were inextricably intertwined.

Detailed explanation-3: -Shelley’s best known works include “Ozymandias” (1818), “Ode to the West Wind” (1819), “To a Skylark” (1820), and the political ballad “The Mask of Anarchy” (1819). As well as poetry, he wrote prose fiction and essays on political, social, and philosophical issues.

Detailed explanation-4: -Shelley in his famous essay, A Defence of Poetry, made the given statement.