The Byronic Hero and Russian Romanticism
Irena Curić dr. sc. Janja Ciglar-Žanić, red. prof.
English Romanticism
08 January 2013
The Byronic Hero and Russian Romanticism
Introduction
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, or simply Lord Byron, was a British poet of Scottish descent who is today considered to be the most influential British poet of the Romantic period (Catherine B. O 'Neill calls him "the best-known nineteenth-century British poet outside England"). His adventourous character and wild but appealing works made him famous throughout Europe. He died in Greece during the country 's war of Independence and became a legend. He was only 36 when he died but his influence was massive. His works, mostly Childe Harold 's Pilgrimage and Don Juan, but also Mazeppa, the Corsair and the Prisoner of Chillon were read among the intelectual elite of the whole Europe and many poets and intelectuals became inspired to write their own works in style of Byron. It was the idea of national identity, so popular in the 19th century, that Byron supported during his life, and the fact that he wrote about the exotic lands and their pains under the tyranny of the oppressors that made him especially popular in moulding of the new nations and their identities in southern and eastern Europe (Hocutt: "Byron 's influence as individual and author seemed always to have greater impact outside of England than within his prudish homeland. While imitators and admirers of Byron the individual and author could be found throughout Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, and Russia, little more than harsh criticism for his works and exile for his lifestyle emanated from his sometimes beloved, sometimes criticized native Britain, even after his death."). Apart from his political influence, he was just as appealing to the youth who saw his quests and deeds as an impetus to rebel. In the eyes of his time, Byron was primarily looked upon as an outlaw, an immoral man. He had an affair with his stepsister and was
English Romanticism
08 January 2013
The Byronic Hero and Russian Romanticism
Introduction
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, or simply Lord Byron, was a British poet of Scottish descent who is today considered to be the most influential British poet of the Romantic period (Catherine B. O 'Neill calls him "the best-known nineteenth-century British poet outside England"). His adventourous character and wild but appealing works made him famous throughout Europe. He died in Greece during the country 's war of Independence and became a legend. He was only 36 when he died but his influence was massive. His works, mostly Childe Harold 's Pilgrimage and Don Juan, but also Mazeppa, the Corsair and the Prisoner of Chillon were read among the intelectual elite of the whole Europe and many poets and intelectuals became inspired to write their own works in style of Byron. It was the idea of national identity, so popular in the 19th century, that Byron supported during his life, and the fact that he wrote about the exotic lands and their pains under the tyranny of the oppressors that made him especially popular in moulding of the new nations and their identities in southern and eastern Europe (Hocutt: "Byron 's influence as individual and author seemed always to have greater impact outside of England than within his prudish homeland. While imitators and admirers of Byron the individual and author could be found throughout Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, and Russia, little more than harsh criticism for his works and exile for his lifestyle emanated from his sometimes beloved, sometimes criticized native Britain, even after his death."). Apart from his political influence, he was just as appealing to the youth who saw his quests and deeds as an impetus to rebel. In the eyes of his time, Byron was primarily looked upon as an outlaw, an immoral man. He had an affair with his stepsister and was
Cited: Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron. The Major Works. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986