Representations of Identity and the Other Selves in Byron’s Major Works of 1812-1815

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2014-06-10
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Abstract
In his visual and verbal works of 1812-1815, Byron’s conception about personal and political identity progresses steadily. When observing the identities he had encountered during his travels, he realizes the flaws in existing binary definitions of self and other and represents identity in what I describe as the other selves. Manipulating the nineteenth-century metaphor of the separation between the outside and the inside, stereotypes about appearance, and prevalent literary conventions, Byron challenges his audience to read these works. His complex construction of both his protagonists and his tales about the lands which were under Ottoman rule generate multiple, and perhaps contrary, readings. The writings accompanying these texts and their numerous revised editions further enhance the multiple readings these works propose. I have interpreted Byron’s representations by using a historical approach, which correlates both his visual and verbal works with his personal writings and with the occurrences in the political and national spheres, especially the French revolution, the fall of Napoleon, and the Ottoman occupation of Greece. Identity in Byron’s major works of this period is an elusive construct which changes according to the changes in temporal and personal perspectives, and according to context.
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Literature--English
Citation
Radhwi, M. (2014). Representations of Identity and the Other Selves in Byron’s Major Works of 1812-1815 (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27635