Mary Shelley, Byron, Hunt e la nascita della rivista The Liberal (1822-23)

The four issues of the literary journal The Liberal: Verse and Prose from the South, which appeared in the years 1822-23, are the product of a unique collaborative effort in English Romantic history. As its subtitle suggests, The Liberal has a cosmopolitan outlook. It was founded and for the most part written in Italy by the expatriate poets Byron, Shelley, and Hunt, and published in London. The article reconstructs the origin of the short-lived periodical, foregrounding Mary Shelley’s largely overlooked role in the enterprise, as she took her husband’s place after his tragic death in July 1822 and prepared for the press his contributions (ranking among the most celebrated pieces in the journal), which served as a testing ground for her pioneering editions of Shelley’s poetry and prose.