Lord Byron: a man of many talents and women...

Reading the biography about Byron is vital to comprehending his stories. Byron inherited a title from his great uncle and all the financial benefits that accompanied it. He put it to good use by going to college and living extravagantly. Despite his "party boy" lifestyle, Byron thought that he had not changed much since his humble beginnings. He experimented with many different aspects of the social spheres, such as sailing and sitting in the House of Lords. Byron dabbled with many different styles of writing as well. The introduction stated that "Byron embodied contradictions more than he resolved them." (357) This assessment is actually quite accurate from what I have observed. His feelings on copyrights are a good example. He said that nobles should not be writing for money, so he gave his copyrights away like popsicles on a hot summer day.
Byron's love life is the most surprising and relevant issue to the understanding of his writings. While he was at college, he met his half-sister, Augusta, and had secret relationship with her that resulted in a child. Since the society as a whole presumed it was his child, he did the best thing he could think of to quiet the public critique: he proposed to another woman. No surprise, this marriage ended within a year, shortly after the birth of their first child. Byron's solution for all problems seemed to be to pick up a new love interest. After separating with his wife, he continued an affair with Claire, Mary Shelley's step-sister. This whole situation becomes more ridiculous when the reader finds out about Shelley's affair with Claire. Thus far, Byron has two illegitimate children. His love life does not end there. He moves on to a married woman named Teresa. By this time, Byron has gained a reputation as a "player" of some sort and the society was not particularly supportive of his lifestyle. If I had to apply an adjective to Byron, it would be impulsive. He seems to have the mentality of an immature young man that acts without any consideration of consequence. This carelessness also implies an uncertainty of self.
I know this opening section about his biography may have been a little bit long, but I still consider it incredibly important. That being said, on to Byron's writings!
My favorite work would have to be She walks in beauty. Footnotes usually aid me and I am grateful for them. In this case, I wish I did not have it. The note reveals that this poem was constructed about his cousin's wife. The twisted, animal-like sexuality of Byron is being displayed again. If I overlook his attraction to his cousin's wife, I see the beauty of his words. He talks about true beauty being natural and innocent. I myself am an old-fashioned girl that values these qualities and that is probably why the message of this poem is appealing to me. Considering his frequent rotation of women, I would have expected him to be a completely focused on the exterior alone. In this poem, he proves that he finds beauty in more than just a woman's appearance, but also in her thoughts and goodness. This more balanced view of beauty is refreshing to me.
In most areas, Byron seems to act without much remorse for his bad choices, but the end of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage seems to have a masked admittance of responsibility. The last stanza says, "the child of love,--though born in bitterness and nurtured in convulsion...Fain would I waft such blessing upon thee, as, with a sigh, I deem thou might'st have been to me!" (362) One can easily connect this to one of his illegitimate daughters that he was not able to invest in personally.
Don Juan is probably one of the most-well known works by Byron. He bravely includes aspects of his personal life and also attacks on social, sexual, and religious inconsistencies. This radical approach was not smiled upon by society as a whole. Since people tended to associate qualities of characters to their author, Byron made Don Juan a more innocent character. He made him the seduced, instead of the seducer. I believe it was his attempt to downplay his bad reputation if possible. My favorite aspect of Don Juan is the style in which Byron scribes it. The message is communicated in a more conversational manner. He narrates using "I", which seems to be highlighting that his own views are presented. Thus, Byron wants to be associated with his stories and does not all at the same time. One cannot be too surprised by this seeing his tendency towards being inconsistent. However, Byron admits his own inconsistency, but seems to have no problem with it.
Don Juan is presented as an angelic boy that came from a controlling mother and a lackadaisical father. After the death of his father, Don Juan was subject to a strenuous education dictated by his mother. As important as I think education to be, the mother in this story would have driven me to an inch within my sanity. The mother in this story, Donna Inez, is often compared to Byron's wife, Annabella. Clearly, his wife was very smart, but a little arrogant and power seeking. This is an example of how writing can be a great form of expression. Byron can vent about his wife under the guise of fiction. Any friends or family of authors should be careful or they might end up in their next story. The mother-son relationship is explored throughout the story. The mom has a hard time letting her son grow up, which is a typical maternal trait. She tends to limit her son's view by forcing him to see her way. The narrator criticizes Inez for not sending her son into the outside world to gain knowledge. I believe that children need a good foundation of wisdom from their parents, but I agree with Byron that much knowledge is gained by entering the world and gathering various viewpoints. Byron might be hinting that Annabella would not consider any opinion or piece of wisdom outside of herself.

Random Question: "Her cheek all purple with the beam of youth..." (386) Since when is youthfulness a shade of purple? In honor of this youthfulness, my font will be purple for this post.