I have a secret belief that Paul Foot was right all along about the
meaning of Shelley's Demogorgon. It's great when someone who isn't a poet
or an literary scholar has enough self-esteem to demonstrate that though
they're bound to make loads of mistakes they might also be brilliantly
sensitive to things that the usual commentators neglect.
"Red Shelley" was an inspiring book, (though perhaps its unintended impact
on me was to confirm my love for Shelley's prose and comparative
indifference towards his poetry.)
But I liked "Murder at the Farm" even more - I think I read it twice
within a week. Like Ronald Fraser's "Blood of Spain", a left-umentary that
is also important literature.
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