ABSTRACT

This chapter offers academics the chance to build a complete picture of William Godwin as a writer and political figure. The text of William Godwin the play, Abbas, King of Persia, is written solely on the recto with the Dramatis Personae on 1 verso. Extracts from the play have been previously published in the Bollingen edition of Coleridge's collected works. Bollingen has taken the view that the former are mostly by Coleridge with some by Godwin and that the latter are also supplied by Godwin. Coleridge had suggested the topic of the play to Godwin and agreed to offer an opinion on a draft. He wrote to Godwin on 8 July 1801 and in his letter he explained the symbols he used to comment on the demerits of the play. The symbol was used to indicate false or 'intolerable English';, 'passages that were flat or mean';, Vulgar Language, common-place book Language; and, 'bad metre'.