1. George Gordon, Lord Byron
Romantic Poetry

2. His Life… Born January 22, 1788 Died April 19, 1824 in Greece
Poet, Revolutionary
Romantic poet by time period, Neo-classicist by style

3. Byron was raised as George Gordon
His mother was emotionally difficult – pushing him away and then frantically drawing him to her for attention

4. His cousin, Baron Byron of Rochdale died in battle, and George became baron at the age of 10
He was poorly prepared for the responsibility and privilege that came with his new title
He often over-spent his income
He was periodically radical in the House of Lords, but was often on the side of the common man

5. Extremely handsome but clubfooted
Constantly tried to impress by learning to box, swim, and ride
He often overate and drank excessively so he would binge diet to lose weight
Aside from occasional periods of depression, he was a good-natured young man and a good conversationalist

6. Ironically, he married someone for convenience to avoid the pursuit of another woman; they had a daughter and were soon separated
Had several scandalous affairs, including one with his half-sister Augusta
Because of this, a bad divorce from his wife, and his support of the French, his life in England was uncomfortable so he left forever

7. After leaving England, Byron “played hard” and wrote voraciously, producing some of his best work
Bored with his frivolous life, Byron settled into a relationship and continued writing his most complex and famous work
He encouraged English support of the Greek war for independence and left writing to help their cause

8. Byron planned to help the Greeks in their struggle for independence from Turkey
He came down with a fever that ultimately killed him
He was only 36 years old

9. His Work…
Met Percy Shelley and Mary in Switzerland – started the “challenge” that created Mary’s Frankenstein

10. Classed as a Romantic because of the time in which he lived, but his style is actually neoclassical
Byron was often critical of his fellow poets and was accused of sometimes writing to please his audience
Byron was immensely popular in his day – it was not until his personal journals were available to the public that his followers began to see his true values

11. Byron did not write autobiographically as Wordsworth and Coleridge did; however, his work was often considered to be a reflection of his true identity – which is inaccurate
His “Byronic hero” became what many consider to be representative of the time, inspiring sympathy and admiration from the reader for this dark, misguided soul
Byron (and those close to him) saw his many moods and intense emotions; he was determined to tell the truth as he saw it about the world and about himself

12. Byron had a purpose in everything he did and wrote:
“There are two sentiments to which I am constant – a strong love of liberty, and a detestation of cant.” - Byron to Lady Blessington
Cant means to whine or complain – being insincere
Cant – insincere, especially conventional expressions of enthusiasm for high ideals, goodness, or piety.