PanThe Minneapolis Star TribuneAt times he responsibly confines his claims to the possible...But all too frequently, Shelden commits what Alistair Fowler calls 'the fatal switch from subjunctive to indicative' ... Emboldened by his leaps from speculation to declaration, Shelden even suggests Melville was the father of two of Sarah’s children. Shelden diminishes genius to bodice-ripping. This happens when you conflate life and art. While certainly the artist’s life affects his art, art is not simply biography.
