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especiallysarah's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed the way these two stories were woven together but it also really highlighted the different between Shelley's fiery and brilliant words and his,quite frankly, selfish & thoughtless life. I hadn't come across Pauline Newman before but I'll definitely be seeking out more information about her.
I think we all need a reread of Mask of Anarchy at the moment
I think we all need a reread of Mask of Anarchy at the moment
sarahreadsaverylot's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
katiescogins's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
greyscarf's review against another edition
3.0
A nonfiction graphic novel that explores Percy Shelley's political poems & how they later inspired labor activist Pauline Newman many years later to agitate for change & form one of the first American unions.
There is an old-fashioned air about this graphic novel. The wordy panels & heavy art style recalls woodcuts in older newspapers & periodicals. This certainly lends plenty of atmosphere to the story Demson is telling, but will take readers a page or two to adjust to. Shelley's & Newman's stories unfold in alternating chapters that point out the contrasts of their lives. Shelley lived a life devoted to ideals yet struggled to keep his family & friends around him as a result of his attitudes & poor financial choices. Newman, taking Shelley's call to arms to heart, strove to strengthen her community & succeeded because of the relationships she formed. In fact, the division between the two subjects can be jarring yet the author does not comment on this or soften the harshness, leaving me to wonder how exactly I was supposed to reconcile the two.
Overall, Masks is an interesting project that more deeply illustrated to me the sincerity of Shelley's politics & how truly the idea of "only connect" can manifest in real life. Recommended for those who are curious about the labor movement in America & how the arts nurtured those ideas.
There is an old-fashioned air about this graphic novel. The wordy panels & heavy art style recalls woodcuts in older newspapers & periodicals. This certainly lends plenty of atmosphere to the story Demson is telling, but will take readers a page or two to adjust to. Shelley's & Newman's stories unfold in alternating chapters that point out the contrasts of their lives. Shelley lived a life devoted to ideals yet struggled to keep his family & friends around him as a result of his attitudes & poor financial choices. Newman, taking Shelley's call to arms to heart, strove to strengthen her community & succeeded because of the relationships she formed. In fact, the division between the two subjects can be jarring yet the author does not comment on this or soften the harshness, leaving me to wonder how exactly I was supposed to reconcile the two.
Overall, Masks is an interesting project that more deeply illustrated to me the sincerity of Shelley's politics & how truly the idea of "only connect" can manifest in real life. Recommended for those who are curious about the labor movement in America & how the arts nurtured those ideas.
meepelous's review against another edition
4.0
Another rather rewarding random find in the library catalogue. I was not aware that this was about Percy Shelley's poem when I put a hold on it, but it was certainly not a disappointing discovery. I have not come across many graphic novels based off of poetry, but since I enjoy graphic novels more than poetry it was not an unwelcome thing way to finally imbibe some Shelley. That said, there was a lot more going on than just the poetry.
As far as the kinds of nonfiction graphic histories that I have been reading of late, this particular volume fit in well. Despite this being the first graphic novel of an extremely privileged person I was really impressed by the way they decided to portray the life and influence of Shelley through the lens of women. Willing to not only show Shelley's greatness but also his weaknesses and shortcomings.
The artwork was also pretty phenomenal as well. Summer McClinton's black and white artwork is not only clear and dramatic but also gives you a sense that it is reflecting the historic times, since they seem to draw a lot of inspiration from antique photographs. I really have a growing appreciation for these larger print volumes and how I feel like I can really dive into the details! I feel like this size would probably help some less experienced readers as well with some of the more intricate page layouts. Nothing too mind bending, but I never felt like I was squinting to try and figure out what was going on.
As many other reviewers have pointed out, the introduction was extremely over-the-top and rather uninformative. Even the font choice was rather poor in my opinion since it made the whole thing seem even longer! I would highly recommend people NOT read it since I'm sure it has stopped more than one person from enjoying this otherwise quite phenomenal work!
As far as the kinds of nonfiction graphic histories that I have been reading of late, this particular volume fit in well. Despite this being the first graphic novel of an extremely privileged person I was really impressed by the way they decided to portray the life and influence of Shelley through the lens of women. Willing to not only show Shelley's greatness but also his weaknesses and shortcomings.
The artwork was also pretty phenomenal as well. Summer McClinton's black and white artwork is not only clear and dramatic but also gives you a sense that it is reflecting the historic times, since they seem to draw a lot of inspiration from antique photographs. I really have a growing appreciation for these larger print volumes and how I feel like I can really dive into the details! I feel like this size would probably help some less experienced readers as well with some of the more intricate page layouts. Nothing too mind bending, but I never felt like I was squinting to try and figure out what was going on.
As many other reviewers have pointed out, the introduction was extremely over-the-top and rather uninformative. Even the font choice was rather poor in my opinion since it made the whole thing seem even longer! I would highly recommend people NOT read it since I'm sure it has stopped more than one person from enjoying this otherwise quite phenomenal work!
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