George Noel Gordon

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George Noel Gordon
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Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

• the plot of the poem
• This long poem established Byron's
  European reputation. It describes the travels and
  the reflections of a pilgrim (Childe Harold, the
  archaic title Childe signifying a youth of
  gentle birth) who has turned from an empty life
  of pleasure and is now seeking spiritual rebirth.
  The first two cantos describe travels through
  Portugal, Spain, the Ionian Isles, and Albania.
  In the light of Byron's subsequent participation
  in the Greek struggle for freedom, the conclusion
  of the second canto, a lament that Greece is
  subject to the tyranny of the Turks, has a
  special interest. Canto ? brings the pilgrim to
  Belgium, the Rhineland, and Switzerland. In each
  place, he reflects on historical associations.
  Byron, for example, visited the battlefield at
  Waterloo where on June 18, 1815, Napoleon's
  ambitions were finally frustrated. The passage in
  which Harold recreates the celebrated battle is
  one of the best-known passages in the poem. The
  description of Alpine scenery in this canto is
  also deservedly admired. The opening lines of the
  canto have a peculiar pathos, addressed as they
  are by Byron to his little daughter whom he had
  not seen since she was five weeks old and whom he
  was never again to see. Especially famous are the
  lines introducing Harold's characteristics. The
  most important information about Harold is that
  he is a typical Byronic Hero.

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Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

• Byronic Hero
• Byronic Heroes are men in rebellion against
  society. They are lonely individualists, proud
  and willful. Beneath their cynicism and disdain
  are an aching sadness and a pathetic feeling of
  hopelessness. They are revolutionary figures
  rising single-handed against government or
  religion or moral society. Such heroes are
  usually persons with strong passions,
  unconquerable wills and inexhaustible energies.
  They are usually disillusioned in modern society
  and long for a better life among simpler people
  less affected by civilization. Their enemies are
  generally feudal rulers or Oriental despots. The
  conflict is one of revolutionary individuals
  against out-worn social systems and conventions.
  These characteristics of Byronic Heroes can best
  be illustrated in the selected readings of this
  section.

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Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

• the style of the poem
• The poetic style of this long poem varies a
  great deal as the poem proceeds, ranging from
  passionate outcries to pathetic utterances, from
  solemn expressions to ironic mockeries, from
  serious musings to playful fancies, from highly
  lyrical passages to everyday speeches, from lofty
  phrases in grand style to clownish play on words.
  This infinite variety in style fits the occasion
  every time and makes the poem powerful yet
  subtle, simple yet corlourful.
• Childe Harold's Pilgrimage is a poem
  largely autobiographical, inspired by the tour of
  the Mediterranean countries and the Near East and
  begun by the poet in 1809. This long poem is
  written in Spenserian stanzas.
• A Spenserian stanza consists of nine lines.
  The first eight lines are iambic pentameter the
  ninth line is iambic hexameter. The rhyme scheme
  of it is ababbcbcc.

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Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

• romantic aspects of the poem
• Childe Harold's Pilgrimage is Romantic in
  the lavishness of its descriptions and in its
  emotionalism. It is also Romantic in its emphasis
  on individualism. Through the presentation of
  Harold, Byron shows his emphasis on individualism
  and love of nature as well as his hatred for and
  revolt against oppression. Childe Harold and
  Byron are at odds with the world. They suffer.
  They are blessed (or cursed) with a sensitivity
  denied to ordinary mortals. They long for freedom
  as well as national liberation in different
  countries. They love nature and past grandeur.
  They are deeply dissatisfied with the present
  society. The poem gives us exceptionally valuable
  insights into Byron's special ways of responding
  to the world. It must be noted, however, that
  Childe Harold and the poet who tells us of the
  travels of Childe Harold is a consciously
  literary creation. Putting it another way, in
  Childe Harold's Pilgrimage we encounter a Byron
  who is inclined to take himself seriously. This
  can be seen through his adoption of the
  Spenserian stanza, which is usually used in
  serious, though somewhat delightful, subject
  matters.