Literary Gothicism The Satanic/Byronic Hero

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Literary GothicismThe Satanic/Byronic Hero

• Wwwnorton.com/nael/nto/romantic

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Late 18th century Literary Gothic

• Pleasurably terrifying experiences
• Set in ancient castles, dungeons, secret
  passageways, graveyards
• Flickering lamps
• Screams, moans
• Ghosts

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Precursors to Mary Shelleys Frankenstein

• Horace Walpoles The Castle of Otranto
• Ann Radcliffes The Mysteries of Udolpho
• Matthew Gregory Lewiss The Monk
• Frankenstein inspired by the reading of German
  ghost stories

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The Satanic Hero

• Revised readings of Miltons Paradise Lost
• Only in the 19th century did readers begin to
  sympathize with Satan
• See Blakes The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
• Shelley wrote that Satan rightly rebels against a
  tyrannical God. (But admits that Satan is flawed
  by the need for vengeance and pride)

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Some famous Byronic heroes

• Heathcliff in Brontes Wuthering Heights
• Ahab in Melvilles Moby Dick
• Victor Frankenstein in Shelleys Frankenstein

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Byrons heroes (from Lara

• In him inexplicably mixd appeared
• Much to be loved and hated, sought and feared
• There was in him a vital scorn of all
• As if the worst had falln which could
  befall
• He stood a stranger in this breathing world,
• An erring spirit from another hurled
• A thing of dark imaginings. . .
• His madness was not of the head, but heart