Byronic hero
Parent categories: hero - Byron
Related: mood disorder - superfluous man - anti hero - depression
Possible female counterpart: femme fatale
Definition
The Byronic hero made his literary debut with the publication of Byron's semi-autobiographical epic narrative poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. The Byronic hero, as portrayed here and in later works of literature, is an idealized but flawed character whose attributes include:
- having conflicting emotions, bipolar tendencies, or moodiness
- self-critical and introspective
- struggles with integrity
- having a distaste for social institutions and social norms
- being an exile, an outcast, or an outsider
- a lack of respect for rank and privilege
- having a troubled past
- being cynical, demanding, and/or arrogant
- often self-destructive
- troubles with sexual identity (but can be heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual, or of repressed sexuality)
- loner, often rejected from society
However, even before Byron exemplified the character in his life and works, the literary predeccesors of the Byronic hero in English can be traced back to Milton, especially Milton's interpretation of Lucifer as having justified complaint against God. One of Byron's most popular works in his lifetime, the closet play Manfred, was loosely modeled on Goethe's anti-hero, Faust. Byron's influence was manifested by many authors and artists of the Romantic movement during the 19th century and beyond. An example of such a Romantic hero is Heathcliff from Emily Brontė's Wuthering Heights. A 20th-century military example is Major T.E. Lawrence as portrayed by Peter O'Toole in the film Lawrence of Arabia. Examples from science fiction television are the characters The Doctor from Doctor Who, and Kerr Avon from Blake's 7. The Byronic hero is also featured in many different contemporary novels, and it is clear that Lord Byron's work continues to influence modern literaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byronic_hero [Aug 2006]
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