English Literature. 02.11.2022. 10 (1)

Literature. 02.11.2022. 10 (1) Topic: Romanticism of the 18th and 19th centuries. George Byron Study the text and do all the tasks LORD BYRON Lord Byron was born George Gordon Noel Byron on January 22, 1788 in England. He was the sixth Baron Byron of a rapidly fading aristocratic family. He had a clubfoot when he was born, which left him self-conscious most of his life. As a boy, he endured a father who abandoned him, a schizophrenic mother, and a nurse who abused him. As a result, Byron lacked discipline and a sense of moderation, traits he held on to his entire life. Byron inherited the title of his great-uncle, WIlliam Byron, and was officially recognized as Lord Byron in 1798, at age 10. Two years later, he attended Harrow School in London and fell deeply in love with his distant cousin, Mary Chaworth. His unrequited passion for her found expression in several of his poems, including “Hills of Annesley” and “The Adieu.” Lord Byron attended Trinity College intermittently from 1805 to 1808, where he fell deep into debt. He found diversion from school with boxing, horseback riding, and gambling. He formed an enduring friendship with John Cam Hobhouse in June of 1807 and was initiated into liberal politics. He joined the Cambridge Whig Club. Lord Byron received a scathing review of his first volume of poetry, Hours of Idleness, in 1808. He retaliated with the satirical poem, “English Bards and Scotch Reviewers.” This poem attacked the literary community with wit and satire, gaining Byron his first literary recognition. Upon turning 21, Byron took his seat in the House of Lords. A year later he embarked on a grand tour through the Mediterranean Sea and began writing “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage.” This poem described a young man’s reflections on travel in foreign lands. Lord Byron returned to London in July 1811 after the death of his mother. In spite of all her failings, her passing plunged him into a deep mourning. High praise by London society pulled him out of his doldrums, as did a series of love affairs. His first love affair was with the passionate and eccentric Lady Caroline Lamb, who described Byron as “mad, bad and dangerous to know.” His next affair was with Lady Oxford who encouraged his radicalism. In the summer of 1813, he apparently entered into a relationship with his half-sister, Augusta. The tumult and guilt he experienced as a result of these love affairs were reflected upon in a series of dark and repentant poems, “The Giaour,” “The Bride of Abydos,” and “The Corsair.” In September of 1814, Byron sought to escape pressures from these relationships. He proposed to the educated and intellectual Anne Isabella Milbanke (AKA Annabella Milbanke). They married in January 1815. In December Augusta Ada, better known as Ada Lovelace, was born. By January, the ill- fated union crumbled and Annabella left Byron amid his drinking, increased debt, and rumors of his relationships with his half-sister. He never saw his wife or daughter again. Byron left England, never to return in April of 1816. He traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, where he befriended Percy Bysshe Shelley, his wife Mary, and her stepsister, Claire Clairmont. While in Geneva, Byron wrote the third canto to “Childe Harold,” depicting his travels from Belgium up the Rhine to Switzerland. While on a trip to Bernese Oberland, Byron was inspired to write the Faustian poetic-drama Manfred. By the end of that summer, the Shelleys had departed for England, where Claire gave birth to Byron’s daughter, Allegra, in January 1817. Byron and John Hobhouse sailed for Italy in October 1816. Along the way, he continued his ways with many women and portrayed these experiences in his greatest poem, “Don Juan.” The poem was a witty and satirical change from the melancholy of “Childe Harold” and revealed other sides of Byron’s personality. He went on to write 16 cantos before his death and leave this poem unfinished. Byron’s life of debauchery had aged him well beyond his 30 years by 1818. He met 19-year-old Teresa Guiccioli, a married countess. They were immediately attracted to one another and carried on a relationship and she separated from her husband. Byron quickly won the admiration of Teresa’s father, who had him initiated into the secret Carbonari society, which was dedicated to freeing Italy from Austrian rule. Byron edited the short-lived newspaper, The Liberal, between 1821 and 1822. A restless Byron accepted an invitation to support Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1823. Byron spent 4,000 pounds of his own money to refit the Greek naval fleet and took personal command of a Greek unit of elite fighters. He fell ill on February 15, 1824. Doctors bled him, weakening his condition further, and likely giving him an infection. On April 19, 1824, Lord Byron died at the age of 36 in Greece. He was deeply mourned in England became a hero in Greece. His body was returned to England, but the clergy refused to bury him at Westminster Abbey, as was the custom for individuals of great stature. He was buried instead in the family vault near Newstead. A memorial to Byron was placed on the floor of Westminster Abbey in 1969.