Thoughts About the Preface

I thought that preface to The Cenci was interesting. It gave some insight into Shelley’s frame of mind and inspiration for the story as a whole. It also looked at the purpose of art in general. “The highest moral purpose aimed at in the highest species of the drama is the teaching the human heart, through its sympathies and antipathies, the knowledge of itself; in proportion to the possession of which knowledge every human being is wise, just, sincere, tolerant and kind.” Fiction mirrors truth and reality. Even in the most imaginative story there are bits of humanity, society, culture, reality, or some piece of relatable material for the audience. That’s what makes literature so interesting. In literature every reader can find some aspect that they relate to, maybe not agree with entirely, but you can pick out something that you’ve seen play out in life. It’s the same reason why we like certain song lyrics or lines in a movie. Shelley also says that he had to downplay the gruesome aspect of the play so that readers wouldn’t get hung up on that part and instead enjoy the story. This shows just how much the audience can get enveloped in a story such as this with believable characters and relatable aspects. Shelley had to create a little distance so that the audience can derive pleasure from the story. I thought this preface as a whole began the play with the reader in the right frame of mind to receive the ideas, characters, and story of the play as a whole.