Images of hope : the pursuit of wholeness in Byron's Corsair.

Critics often describe Byron's Corsair as a hastily written, tragic tale of an outlaw who eventually drowns himself. Yet in spite of its rapid creation over a ten day period, The Corsair is a coherent work of literature in which all of the poem's compositional elements reflect the common Romantic theme of a protagonist's struggle for and attainment of balance and wholeness in a hostile world. Although Byron scholarship does provide valuable insight for the reader attempting to unravel the poem's intricate imagery, no single critical work synthesizes this criticism and expands upon it; and most critics who provide tragic readings of The Corsair's ending have neglected key image patterns of unity and resurrection, as well as elements of character, structure, setting, and versification that suggest the protagonist's search for wholeness. In order to create a more comprehensive understanding of the poem, this thesis builds upon previous criticism and explores these image patterns and compositional elements to reveal how this tightly constructed poem focuses upon Conrad's struggle to accept both man's spiritual/physical and male/female dualities. This acceptance leads to the development of enough buoyancy to survive what Byron later calls the "nautical existence" in Don Juan (II.xii.96). The first two chapters provide essential background for the explication of The Corsair. Chapter I presents the biographical context: excerpts from Byron's letters and journals suggest that the poet may have reflected his own striving to obtain a stable manhood in Conrad's struggle to attain balance. Chapter II places this analysis of the poem into its critical context: after exploring the criticism, which provides mostly nihilistic readings to the tale's conclusion, this chapter will present the weaknesses in existing interpretations and explain the need for another reading of the poem. Chapter III demonstrates how the theme, characters, structure, setting, and versification of The Corsair work together to emphasize the idea of wholeness and point to Conrad's final disappearance on the sea as an ultimate discovery of this wholeness. A close reading which includes an examination of all of these aspects suggests an alternative to the nihilistic interpretations of the poem and its conclusion. Instead of implying Conrad's suicide, the corsair's final voyage indicates that he has achieved the balance necessary to continue his adventure through the "nautical existence" of life.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

1993

Author dc:creator

• Cubie, Karen Christina.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Goode, Clement Tyson, 1929-

• Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron, 1788-1824 -- Criticism and interpretation.
• Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron, 1788-1824. Corsair.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14804

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14804