ABSTRACT
Thornton Hunt’s essay, ‘Shelley. By One Who Knew Him’, should have been more accurately titled, ‘The Shelleys. By Two Who Knew Them.’ Published in 1863, the essay purports to describe P. B. Shelley in 1816–18 at a time when Thornton Hunt was seven years old. The picture of Mary Shelley also claims to be from that period, but in fact is an amalgam of impressions that include later experiences. There is no reason to doubt that Thornton Hunt had some memories of the time: the Shelleys stayed with the Hunts at Hampstead Heath for visits while in London and the Hunts lived with the Shelleys at Marlow from 6 April through 25 June 1817 (Feldman and Scott-Kilvert, vol. 1, p. 175). But there is every reason to doubt that the boy, however precocious, could have noticed all that is detailed in the memoir. In fact, Hunts narrative is heavily indebted to the memories of his father, [James Henry] Leigh Hunt, who became P. B. Shelley’s ardent admirer and closest friend during 1816–18.
