Percy Bysshe Shelley: Letter to William Godwin

Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. Using false names, Shelley sent copies of The Necessity of the Atheism to 'men of thought and learning', including bishops and clergymen.

Here, writing as 'Jennings Stukeley', he sends 'a tract' to William Godwin, expressing his hope that, if correct, it will 'festinate' the impact of Political Justice. This unusual word, meaning to hasten, is typical of the learned pose Shelley adopts. He makes no mention of his youth, and when sending a copy of The Necessity of Atheism to the Rector of Redmarshall he assumed the role of 'Charles Meyton', a well to do elderly clergyman.

Date Published: 2 December 2010
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Contributors: Henry Cockburn
Keywords: #greatwriters, percy bysshe shelley, atheism, shelley's ghost, bodleian, shelley, godwin
Cite: Percy Bysshe Shelley: Letter to William Godwin at https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/ via https://dev.writersinspire.it.ox.ac.uk/content/percy-bysshe-shelley-letter-william-godwin. Published on 02 December 2010. Accessed on 13 May 2026.
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