Fragment; or, the Triumph of Conscience
During a night storm, the speaker sits in a dwelling beside a fading lamp. The speaker's heart sinks as conscience whispers, and the ghost of the murdered Victoria approaches carrying a blood-reeking dagger. The speaker calls on the tempest to bear them away.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Gothic Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Supernatural Fiction · 241 words
First lines
'Twas dead of the night when I sate in my dwelling, / One glimmering lamp was expiring and low,- / Around the dark tide of the tempest was swelling, / Along the wild mountains night-ravens were yelling, / They bodingly presaged destruction and woe!
'Twas then that I started, the wild storm was howling, / Nought was seen, save the lightning that danced on the sky, / Above me the crash of the thunder was rolling, / And low, chilling murmurs the blast wafted by. -
Genres
- Gothic Poetry — A fading lamp and a violent night storm precede the approach of the murdered Victoria's ghost carrying a blood-reeking dagger.
- Romantic Poetry — The speaker distinguishes a heart untroubled by fear from a whispering conscience, while thunder, lightning and a whirlwind surround the ghost's approach.
- Supernatural Fiction — The murdered Victoria's ghost appears on the whirlwind and advances toward the speaker's dwelling carrying a dagger.
Tags
ghost story · supernatural · gothic · conscience · storm · murder · poetry
What this Textopian page supports
Fragment; or, the Triumph of Conscience is listed on Textopian as a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Gothic Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Supernatural Fiction
- Length: 241 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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- Work identity for Fragment; or, the Triumph of Conscience by Percy Bysshe Shelley
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- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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