Byronic hero

English en Pronunciation en /baɪˈɹɒn.ɪk ˈhɪə.ɹəʊ/ RP en /baɪˈɹɒn.ɪk ˈhɪɹ.oʊ/ /baɪˈɹɒn.ɪk ˈhiɹ.oʊ/ GA Noun es s en literature A character type originating in the works of Lord Byron, typically characterized by introspection, arrogance, cynicism, emotional depth, and moral ambiguity; often alienated from society and at odds with conventional morality. en Romantic hero en classical hero en Childe Harold exemplifies the Byronic hero. en 1814 Lord Byron The Corsair That man of loneliness and mystery,Scarce seen to smile, and seldom heard to sigh;[...]He knew himself a villain—but he deem'dThe rest no better than the thing he seem'd;And scorned the best as hypocrites who hidThose deeds the bolder spirit plainly did.He knew himself detested, but he knewThe hearts that loath'd him, crouch'd and dreaded too.Lone, wild, and strange, he stood alike exemptFrom all affection and from all contempt: I VIII, XI en 1951 Albert Camus The Rebel 46 The Byronic hero, incapable of love, or capable only of an impossible love, suffers endlessly. He is solitary, languid, his condition exhausts him. If he wants to feel alive, it must be in the terrible exaltation of a brief and destructive action. en 1962 Peter L. Thorslev, Jr. The Byronic Hero: Types and Prototypes 8 The Byronic Hero, on the other hand, is invariably courteous toward women, often loves music or poetry, has a strong sense of honor, and carries about with him like the brand of Cain a deep sense of guilt. en literary trope by extension An archetype of a moody, brooding, rebellious, and self-destructive antihero found across later fiction and media, marked by intelligence, passion, and alienation from social norms. en antihero en ideal hero en Heathcliff, Edward Rochester, and Batman are often described as Byronic heroes. en 2020-10-30 Maya Phillips The New York Times Review: ‘Touch of the Poet’ Is a Powerful Study in Toxic Pride The Byronic hero: temperamental, hedonistic and romantic. [...] After all, when Con first appears, dressed in dusty shades of purple like a retired royal, we already know he’s our Byronic hero. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/30/theater/touch-of-the-poet-review-irish-rep.html https://web.archive.org/web/20250617145950/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/30/theater/touch-of-the-poet-review-irish-rep.html 17 June 2025 en 2019-09-18 Evan McGarvey Slate The Cardiganed Terrorist Next Door Yes, the film argues that racist thinking warps your life and will ruin it, but it also presents Norton’s Derek Vinyard as a kind of Byronic hero. https://slate.com/culture/2019/09/arlington-road-right-wing-terrorism-on-film.html https://web.archive.org/web/20240813012727/https://slate.com/culture/2019/09/arlington-road-right-wing-terrorism-on-film.html 13 August 2024 Hypernyms hero Coordinate terms Byronic heroine Related terms Byronic antiheroism tragic hero See also Romanticism References Byronic hero on Dictionary.com. Byronic hero Byronic Hero on TV Tropes. Glossary of the Gothic: Byronic Hero. Byronic hero on EBSCO. Byronic Hero on Fiveable. Byronic Hero on Poem Analysis. Further reading Byronic hero on Wikipedia. en Literature