Analysis Of The Prelude And Lord Byron s Biting Epic

The Romantic poets sought to write epic poems that incorporated new philosophies, ideals, and literary trends, while also parodying, satirizing and deconstructing the epic poem itself. Rather than merely extend the epic tradition, the Romantic poets subverted the characteristics and tropes attributed to epic poetry, in turn creating an interesting revision of the epic. Two seminal works of Romantic poetry that adequately showcase the revision of epic tradition are William Wordsworth’s introspective epic The Prelude and Lord Byron’s biting epic satire Don Juan. Incorporating either introspection and reflection or irony and satire, both works incorporate themes from the epic tradition while also subverting its significant aspects. It is†¦show more content†¦Wordsworth is known for his introspection, often writing about feelings, emotions, mortality, and nature. Wordsworth’s The Prelude is a seminal work and a prime example of the romantic revision of epic tradition. The poem is about the growth of the poet’s mind. It is autobiographical and deals with different periods of Wordsworth’s life, such as his childhood, his time at Cambridge and his residence in France. The poem features Wordsworth reflecting on his experiences and feelings, and the poem acts as a look into how he views himself as a poet. In The Politics of the Epic: Wordsworth, Byron, and the Romantic Redefinition of Heroism, author Paul Cantor contends that despite the use of epic writing, the poem itself is vastly different from the epic. â€Å"It is written in an elevated blank verse that often has a Miltonic ring, it contains epic diction and epic similes, and it shows many other signs of Wordsworth s attempt to wo rk within the established epic tradition. But if one looks at the beginning of the poem, where the epic poet traditionally invokes his Muse, one can see how radically Wordsworth differs from his predecessor† (Cantor, 377). The poem seems to mimic the Miltonic epic in its style and diction. This does not mean, however, that Wordsworth intended to follow the conventions of the epic, as The Prelude breaks several of the conventions of classical epic poetry. For instance, the poem does not deal