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Byronic Hero
The Byronic hero is a variant of the Romantic hero as a type of character, named after the English Romantic poet Lord Byron. Historian and critic Lord Macaulay described the character as "a man proud, moody, cynical, with defiance on his brow, and misery in his heart, a scorner of his kind, implacable in revenge, yet capable of deep and strong affection". Both Byron's own persona as well as characters from his writings are considered to provide defining features to the character type. The Byronic hero first reached a very wide public in Byron's semi-autobiographical epic narrative poem ''Childe Harold's Pilgrimage'' (1812–1818). Despite Byron's clarifying Childe was a fictitious character in the preface of the work, "the public immediately associated Byron with his gloomy hero", with readers "convinced ... that Byron and Childe were one and the same". Byron's poems with Oriental settings show more " swashbuckling" and decisive versions of the type. Later works show Byro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sardanapalus (play)
''Sardanapalus'' (1821) is a historical tragedy in blank verse by Lord Byron, set in ancient Nineveh and recounting the fall of the Assyrian monarchy and its supposed last king. It draws its story mainly from the '' Historical Library'' of Diodorus Siculus and from William Mitford's ''History of Greece''. Byron wrote the play during his stay in Ravenna, and dedicated it to Goethe. It has had an extensive influence on European culture, inspiring a painting by Delacroix and musical works by Berlioz, Liszt and Ravel, among others. Synopsis Act 1 In a soliloquy Salemenes deplores the life of slothful luxury led by his brother-in-law Sardanapalus, king of Assyria. The king enters, and Salemenes reproaches him with his lack of ambition for military glory and his unfaithfulness to his queen, Salemenes' sister. He warns him of possible rebellion by treacherous courtiers. Sardanapalus answers by extolling the virtues of mild and merciful rule and condemning bloodshed, but is fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gothic Fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean medieval and barbaric, which itself originated from Gothic architecture and in turn the Goths. The first work to be labelled as Gothic was Horace Walpole's 1764 novel ''The Castle of Otranto'', later subtitled ''A Gothic Story''. Subsequent 18th-century contributors included Clara Reeve, Ann Radcliffe, William Beckford (novelist), William Thomas Beckford, and Matthew Gregory Lewis, Matthew Lewis. The Gothic influence continued into the early 19th century, with Romantic works by poets, like Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Lord Byron. Novelists such as Mary Shelley, Charles Maturin, Walter Scott and E. T. A. Hoffmann frequently drew upon gothic motifs in their works as well. Gothic aesthetics continued to be used throughout the early Victorian li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ann Radcliffe
Ann Radcliffe (née Ward; 9 July 1764 – 7 February 1823) was an English novelist who pioneered the Gothic fiction, Gothic novel, and a minor poet. Her fourth and most popular novel, ''The Mysteries of Udolpho'', was published in 1794. She is also remembered for ''The Romance of the Forest'' (1791) and ''The Italian (Radcliffe novel), The Italian'' (1797). Her novels combine suspenseful narratives, exotic historical settings, and apparently-supernatural events which turn out to have rational explanations. Radcliffe was famously shy and reclusive, leaving little record of the details of her life. She was born in London to a middle-class family, and was raised between Bath, Somerset and the estate of her uncle Thomas Bentley (manufacturer), Thomas Bentley. In 1787, she married William Radcliffe, a journalist, and moved to London. She published five novels between 1789 and 1797 to increasing acclaim and financial success, becoming one of the highest-paid authors of the eighteent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Novella
A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts. Definition The Italian term is a feminine of ''novello'', which means ''new'', similarly to the English word ''news''. Merriam-Webster defines a novella as "a work of fiction intermediate in length and complexity between a short story and a novel". There is disagreement regarding the number of pages or words necessary for a story to be considered a novella, a short story or a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association defines a novella's word count to be between 17,500 and 40,000 words; at 250 words per page, this equates to 70 to 160 pages. See below for definitions used by other organisations. History The novella as a literary genre began developing in the Italian literature of the early Renaissance, princip ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
François-René De Chateaubriand
François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand (4 September 1768 – 4 July 1848) was a French writer, politician, diplomat and historian who influenced French literature of the nineteenth century. Descended from an old aristocratic family from Brittany, Chateaubriand was a royalist by political disposition. In an age when large numbers of intellectuals turned against the Church, he authored the ''The Genius of Christianity, Génie du christianisme'' in defense of the Catholic faith. His works include the autobiography ''Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe'' (''Memoirs from Beyond the Grave''), published posthumously in 1849–1850. Historian Peter Gay said that Chateaubriand saw himself as the greatest lover, the greatest writer, and the greatest philosopher of his age. Gay states that Chateaubriand "dominated the literary scene in France in the first half of the nineteenth century". Biography Early years and exile Born in Saint-Malo on 4 September 1768, the last of ten children, Chate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
René (novella)
''René'' is a short novel by François-René de Chateaubriand, which first appeared in 1802. The work had an immense impact on early Romanticism, comparable to that of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Goethe's ''The Sorrows of Young Werther''. Like the German novel, it deals with a sensitive and passionate young man who finds himself at odds with contemporary society. ''René'' was first published as part of Chateaubriand's ''The Genius of Christianity, Génie du christianisme'' along with another novella, ''Atala (novella), Atala''; although it was in fact an excerpt from a long prose epic the author had composed between 1793 and 1799 called ''Les Natchez'', which would not be made public until 1826. ''René'' enjoyed such immediate popularity that it was republished separately in 1805 along with ''Atala''. Plot summary René, a desperately unhappy young Frenchman, seeks refuge among the Natchez people of New France, Louisiana. It is a long time before he is persuaded to reveal the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Things As They Are; Or, The Adventures Of Caleb Williams
''Things as They Are; or The Adventures of Caleb Williams'' (1794; retitled ''The Adventures of Caleb Williams; or Things as They Are'' in 1831, and often abbreviated to ''Caleb Williams'') by William Godwin is a three-volume novel written as a call to end the abuse of power by what Godwin saw as a tyrannical government. Intended as a popularisation of the ideas presented in his 1793 treatise ''Political Justice'' Godwin uses ''Caleb Williams'' to show how legal and other institutions can and do destroy individuals, even when the people the justice system touches are innocent of any crime. This reality, in Godwin's mind, was therefore a description of "things as they are". The original manuscript included a preface that was removed from publication, because its content alarmed booksellers of the time. Plot summary Volume I The main character, Caleb Williams, is of humble birth, unusual for Godwin, since his characters are often persons of wealth and title. Caleb Williams, a poo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Godwin
William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism and the first modern proponent of anarchism. Godwin is most famous for two books that he published within the space of a year: '' An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice'', an attack on political institutions, and '' Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams'', an early mystery novel which attacks aristocratic privilege. Based on the success of both, Godwin featured prominently in the radical circles of London in the 1790s. He wrote prolifically in the genres of novels, history and demography throughout his life. In the conservative reaction to British radicalism, Godwin was attacked, in part because of his marriage to the feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft in 1797 and his candid biography of her after her death from childbirth. Their daughter, later known as Mary Shelley, would go on t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Sorrows Of Young Werther
''The Sorrows of Young Werther'' (; ), or simply ''Werther'', is a 1774 epistolary novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, which appeared as a revised edition in 1787. It was one of the main novels in the ''Sturm und Drang'' period in German literature, and influenced the later Romanticism, Romantic movement. Goethe, aged 24 at the time, finished ''Werther'' in five and a half weeks of intensive writing in January to March 1774. It instantly placed him among the foremost international literary celebrities and was among the best known of his works. The novel was inspired by Goethe's personal life, and involving love triangle, triangular relationships of real people. One triangular relationship involved Goethe, Christian Kestner, and Charlotte Buff (who married Kestner); and the other involved Goethe, Peter Anton Brentano, Maximiliane Brentano, Maximiliane von La Roche (who married Brentano), and Karl Wilhelm Jerusalem. Jerusalem died by suicide on the night of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goethe
Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Political philosophy#European Enlightenment, political, and Western philosophy, philosophical thought in the Western world from the late 18th century to the present.. A poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre-director, and critic, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe bibliography, his works include plays, poetry and aesthetic criticism, as well as treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour. Goethe took up residence in Weimar in 1775 following the success of his first novel, ''The Sorrows of Young Werther'' (1774), and joined a thriving intellectual and cultural environment under the patronage of Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess Anna Amalia that formed the basis of Weimar Classicism. He was ennobled by Karl August, G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prince Hamlet
Prince Hamlet is the title character and protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). He is the Prince of Denmark, nephew of the usurping King Claudius, Claudius, and son of King Hamlet, the previous King of Denmark. At the beginning of the play, he is conflicted whether, and how, to avenge the murder of his father, and struggles with his own sanity along the way. By the end of the tragedy, Hamlet has caused the deaths of Polonius, Laertes (Hamlet), Laertes, Claudius, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two acquaintances of his from childhood. He is also indirectly involved in the deaths of his love Ophelia (drowning) and of his mother Gertrude (Hamlet), Gertrude (mistakenly poisoned by Claudius). Role in the play The play opens with Hamlet deeply depressed over the recent death of his father, King Hamlet, and his uncle King Claudius, Claudius' ascension to the throne and hasty marriage to Hamlet's mother Gertrude (Hamlet), Gertrude. One night, his father ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
