Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Byron: A Modern Day Blogger
While reading the preface to "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" I was overwhelmed with the sheer amount of name dropping and allusions. Don't get me wrong- I really enjoy his poetry, but I thought the preface was just a bit too pretentious. I imagine this preface as a Tumblr, where all of the ideas that people have accused him of taking are listed as having been reblogged, and he references these various knights, authors, poets, and characters on a first name basis as if they are all good friends. I think the one that really got me was the final line right before "To Ianthe" where he says "this character would have deepened as he drew to the close; for the outline which I once meant to fill up for him was, with some exceptions, the sketch of a modern Timon, perhaps a poetical Zeluco." (59) "Timon of Athens" is a play by Shakespeare (am I the only one who didn't know this?) and Zeluco is an evil Italian nobleman from a 1789 novel, which seems rather recent for Byron's taste. I really enjoy reading Childe Harold, but the tone of the preface set me off on the wrong foot
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I have always been fascinated by how much of what was written could easily be compared to culture today. There was political commentary, comedies, you name it; it would be interesting where authors would find themselves now.
ReplyDeleteI think that your reference to Tumblr here is absolutely hilarious, and a perfect comparison. I completely agree that the tone of the preface sets the reader up to being a little bit hesitant to actually listen to anything Byron writes in the body of the poem.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I did not get the reference to "Timon of Athens" either.
I have noticed a theme of Prefaces being a bit pretentious. Though I also didn't get the reference to Timon of Athens I can't help but sing hakuna matata whenever I hear the name Timon!
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