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Lord Byron

Marchand's biography of George Gordon offers a full-bodied and accurate literary portrait of one of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century England's most elusive and legendary figures, Lord Bryon (1788-1824), the poet. In attempting to synthesize a life grown large by legend, Marchand in his "Preface" quotes Bryon's quip "I am such a strange mTlangT of good and evil that it would be difficult to describe me" (p. vii). Taunted by this challenge, Marchand establishes for himself the task of assessing Bryon's psyche, revealing him to be not necessarily more inconsistent than most individuals, but rather more honest in acknowledging his inconsistencies (p. ix). Marchand's appreciation of Bryon's talent as well as his largesse enables him to ground his assessment of the poet's life and literary achievements in a balanced objectivity which avoids being overly reverential or derisive. Armed with new critical sources and confident that twentieth century readers will be less censorious than Bryon's contemporaries, Marchand's rigorous scholarship unveils a very human and affable Lord whose precarious upbringing, tumultuous lifestyle, and almost unrelenting dedication to the poetic muse carved a spot for him in both the annals of British history and world literature.

Marchand's biography offers fascinating glimpses into Lord Bryon as: the nail-biting (p. 60), clubfooted bairn; the irascible friend and lover apparently capable of wooing and fleeing as if it were a single motion; the often impoverished but still generous nobleman; the scintillating conversationalist who cyclically sought solitude for his regeneration; the Peer whose liberal political leanings placed him at odds with his desire to mingle with affluent but conservative Whigs (p. 139), the prankster who could nevertheless be more solemn than most; the irreformable drifter who continually sought to ground himself in long-lasting relationships; and the career poet who st...

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Lord Byron. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 14:29, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1689511.html