I tend to find a lot of truth in the hypothesis that Byron's life eclipsed his poetry. It is important to remember that, in many ways, Byron was a rebel against English society of that time. He scorned hypocritical convention and his love affairs, both heterosexual and homosexual, were known all over England and elsewhere. Yet Byron's adaptation of Don Juan, Childe Harold and Manfred are literary classics. My personal opinion is that Byron's success with these works is due to the fact that he wrote them in a way that any reader, regardless of status or class, could understand and relate to. His writing style is certainly very different from those of his contemporaries, Keats and Wordsworth (and who he hated).
For example, Keats's ballad 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci' is VERY difficult to understand. There are so many hidden meanings and symbols that are not easy to detect. However, Byron's works are not like that. Byron writes in a straightforward, often cynically humoristic tone. The vast majority of readers can surely relate to that. Byron succeeded in changing the way readers perceive the legendary figure of Don Juan. In Byron's epic, Don Juan was no longer the dazzling figure of legend but a simple young man who came down to the level of the readers. I think this is part of Byron's great success.
One can see Byron's lifestyle in his poetry. That he chose to write about Don Juan, one of the greatest seducers of all time, instead of the Greek and Roman heroes, reveals something integral about Lord Byron. Byron obviously identified with Don Juan up to a point. His own escapades with women reveal that he was, in a way, his own Don Juan. He even saw fit to court his own half-sister, Augusta Leigh. This is proof that Byron was far ahead of his time and society. His "freedom" in this respect is undoubtedly part of what made him so famous.
This is why I would tend to agree that Byron's lifestyle never came second to his poetry.
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I really enjoyed reading your analysis on Lord Byron. My one comment is that you seem to not to have defined a question, I think you responded to all of the questions given instead of choosing one. Anyway, you clearly outlined many links between Lord Byron's life and Don Juan, explained why this may be considered his greatest work, and compared it to that of Keats. (As I am unfamiliar with Keats, I will focus my comments on the other parts of your post).
I agree with your thoughts regarding the theory that Byron's life eclipsed his poetry. His scandalous affairs and many of his relations were parallel to that of Don Juan. His lifestyle is in his poetry. Also, an interesting point you chose to discuss is the factors that led to his success such as his rebelion against English society, the reader's ability to relate to his poetry, and most importantly his satirical writing style evidnet in his mock epic, Don Juan.
Great work, I really enjoyed reading your repsonse to Lord Byron.
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