Byron and Wordsworth

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how both Byron and Wordsworth are poets who exemplify the Romantic imagination in their art and in their personal responses to the philosophical and literary problems of their time. The paper explores how nature and civilization are the two opposing and pivotal points in the Romantic oeuvre, with both poets seeing nature as the antithesis of a decadent and "fallen" civilization. The paper concludes that, while Wordsworth sees nature and the imagination as a means to transcend the mundane world, Byron sees transcendence and "mystical vision" as yet another form of artistic escapism.

From the Paper:

"Much of Byron's attitude towards the decadence of civilization can be gleaned from Don Juan. The central theme of this work and others such as The Island, is nature versus civilization. Through the central characters of this work Byron shows "...the rottenness of the social system to which they belong. They will wreck Juan with their scheming, contriving, and cross interests, and then, herding together hypocritically, they will expel him with all the blame concentrated upon him. "(Boyd, 1945, p. 69)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms. [Online] viewed 14 February 2006. <http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/~dougt/goth.html>
• Boyd, E. F. (1945). Byron's Don Juan: A Critical Study. Rutgers University Press: New Brunswick, NJ.
• Byron. [Online] viewed 14 February 2006. <http://www.bartleby.com/222/0211.html>
• Byron : The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907-21).Volume XII. The Romantic Revival. [Online] viewed 14 February 2006. <http://www.bartleby.com/222/0210.html>
• Byron, George Gordon. (1905) The Complete Poetical Works of Lord Byron. Houghton Mifflin: Boston.

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