Selfhood In Don Juan

BibliographyAsbee, S. (2006) Approaching Poetry, Milton Keynes, The Open UniversityReid, N. (2006) Coleridge, Form and Symbol, Or the Ascertaining Vision, Aldershot, Ashgate PublishingWellek, R. (1963) The Concept of Romanticism in literary historyin Bygrave, S (2006) Romantic Writings London, The Open UniversityZuk, E. Coleridges Blank Verse [online], http://www.expansivepoetryonline.com/journal/cult072004.html (Accessed 28th April 2008)

Lord Byron, a romantic author from the 18th century was a man who was considered as a “player”, a man who was always with multiple women. In his lifetime Byron wrote many stories, three of those stories were, She Walks In Beauty, Apostrophe To The Ocean, and Don Juan. In those three stories Lord Byron indicates very important messages for each.

George Herbert (1593 - 1633), born later than John Donne (1572 - 1631), largely followed Donne’s poetic style, however incorporating slight changes: the diction that is evident in Herbert’s poetry is much simpler than Donne’s diction, and the metaphors are also easier to comprehend. What both have in common, is the colloquial manner, the logic arrangement of the poems argument and therefore the persuasive nature of the poetry. In Donne’s poetry, this logical arrangement

The poem breaks down a woman’s beauty by descriptions of physical, spiritual, and intellectual traits. Puffer defines beauty in this context “is found in the effects of its elements” (Puffer 42). The effects in this poem describe beauty as “so soft, so calm” (3.2.1726). Byron creates a link between the woman and nature within the poem. Showing as if that they are both perfect. Being a romantic poet, Lord Byron indubitably had a strong reverence for nature, just like many other Romantic Era poets. By comparing her to the flawless being that nature represents, he is putting her among the likes of the upper atmosphere, Heaven and the creation at which God has made. This link established in the lines, “She walks in beauty, like the night / Of cloudless climes and starry skies”

During the 1800s, the Romantic Movement was at its peak. Artists were rebelling against the logical nature of the Enlightenment period because they felt that people were losing their individuality. Poets used creativity to find new ways to express imagination and emotions. Lord Byron, one of the poets during the Romantic Movement, used very vivid imagery along with other techniques to portray people’s feelings, often of love or despair. He wrote “She Walks in Beauty” about his love and affection towards an unnamed woman, later assumed to be his cousin, Anne Wilmont.

A writer’s life and environment often have an effect on an author’s writings. An endless array of subjects influence an author’s writing, such as events in his or her personal life, his or her character, the society during his or her life, and ideas by philosophers, proceeding authors, or his or her contemporaries. As a result, writings can be remarkable literary and historical depictions of the time in which they were written. They can deliver the message of prominent issues during the time, to more simple subjects such as everyday life. The influence that the contemporary world can have on a writer is infinite. This is the case for the English poet, George Gordon Lord Byron, who established his name in British literature through his extensive

Writing about how the ideal love is unattainable comes through commonly through Byron’s works, this conclusion stems from his childhood. Byron grew up with an ill illusion of women with his mom, Katherine Gordon, being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and his nurse, May Gray, sexually abusing him (Elledge 33). The readers overlook the oddity of the content of his writings because of the drowning of charm and intelligence. His emotion filled literary works drew readers in after he poured out his unconventional lifestyle into words that flowed together into infamous poems. Unfortunately, even though Byron had a successful life, he died at a young age while in the beautiful country of Greece, following romantic adventures of bravery and courage (Bloom and Grundmann, 169).

Over the years great writers have influenced literature in many ways from Shakespeare to Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Coleridge was a groundbreaking poet whose idea of poetry remains the standard by which others in English are tried. He was notably responsible for new German demanding philosophy. His talks about imagination remain the component of institutional criticism. All the while his infrequent notations on language helped develop Cambridge English in the 1920s. He is described as a literary critic, psychologist of the imagination, a crucial theologian, and conservative social philosopher. Coleridge’s poems and other works placed him in a high spot among major critics in literature. His early life helped shape who he became as an

Variety was one of Byron’s greatest weaknesses though, not only in poetry, but also in his personal life. Contrary to his obsession, Byron soon became infatuated with a woman named Annabella Milbanke, whom he no sooner became engaged to. This marriage was rough from the start with Byron having an affair even before their wedding. Byron’s marriage was not accepted at first and some even saw it as degrading. This came as an embarrassment to Byron who was quickly becoming a well known figure in society. His marriage continued ,though barely hanging on, as Byron continued to have several affairs and illegitimate children. Byron began abusing his wife, and soon ran into financial hardship which caused him to plummet into depression and periods of high anxiety. Milbanke left Byron in 1816, this caused a major scandal in England which tore him from his home and forced Byron to move to Europe. Overall, Byron’s rough marriage caused him to be

Tortured, dispirited, and without the use of his left arm, Cervantes returned home to Spain in 1580 after being held captive in Algeria for five long years. He returned not as a war hero but another man ravaged physically and mentally by the battles he had lived through, but he did not let this experience kill him. Thirty two years later, on the same day England mourned the loss of William Shakespeare, Cervantes finally passed away. Within these thirty two years Spain had grown to adore Cervantes and celebrate him as Spain’s most beloved novelist. Like any other artist, Cervantes’ life experiences influenced his works which had earned such great success in Spain during his lifetime and even greater success many more centuries onward. The popular literature of seventeenth-century Europe, common religions practiced in his time, and the culture of contemporary Spain influenced the works of Miguel de Cervantes.

The notion of the Byronic hero comes directly from George Gordon Byron. More widely known as Lord Byron, he was a British poet, but also a politician, from the late 18th Century to the beginning of the 19th Century. He is considered as a leading figure in the Romantic movement and his works elevated him to the rank of one of the greatest British poets1 and are still quite influential for writers and poets nowadays. His best-known works are the narrative poems Don Juan, and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. The later was published between 1812 and 1818 and describes the travels of a young man searching for some distractions in foreign countries as he is disillusioned with his life of pleasure. This poem seems to be widely received as the description

Lord Byron's chief masterpiece is probably the comic epic Don Juan, which occupied its author from 1818 until nearly the end of his life (Trueblood 14-15). The sheer length of the poem is in itself impressive; its seventeen cantos take Juan through a variety of adventures, including the famous affair with Donna Julia, the sojourn with Haidee, experiences in Turkey and later in Russia as a slave, and finally episodes in England among high society (Boyd 22-30). Remarkably, however, Don Juan as Byron left it is obviously unfinished. Further, the poem was not published in an absolutely complete form until nearly eighty years after Byron's death (Steffan III 562). The unfinished state of Don

The protagonist, David Lurie, a university professor, is extremely interested in Lord Byron, a poet known for his licentious lifestyle. A Byronic hero is arrogant, intelligent, emotional, morally and characteristically flawed and often sexually irresistible to women. Lurie possesses many of these qualities. From the first page it is noticeable as the narrator begins to describe Lurie’s thoughts. He

This poem talks about a man's view on a women. Sounds funny I know but, if you have read it you would totally understand why it’s one of my favorites. In the society we grew up in is totally different than the one our parents or even our grandparents grew up in. In our generation we are worried about if our selfie got more than ten likes. Back then they were only worried about having food on the table. With this new generation we have a totally different outlook on life, for example the way men look at women. We as women we know that all guys want is to do the nasty, well that's what we think anyways. This poem gave me hope that not all guys are the same. Byron tells us that he looks at the way we walk, the hair and the face at first then get to know them and wonder more. More guys should take his advice it might get them farther in life, this poem gave me hope that there are still decent men out in the

John Donne is the name in English Literature who gave new direction to the literary activities of his age. He is in a sense founded the metaphysical lyric, which was practiced by scare of writers. As Dowden says, “We are told that in the decline of the greater poetry of the Elizabethan period, a metaphysical school arose and that John Donne was the founder or the first eminent member of this school.” John Donne set up a new tradition in versification by and large Donne must be regarded as an original poet, “a poet who gave much more than what he borrowed from his age.”