V6 Romanticism Lord Byron

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 6

Lord byron

• Born in London as George Gordon, parents separated and he moved with his mother to Aberdeen (Scotland)
  
• Inherited the title Lord Byron from his childless uncle.
  
• Had a good education (Latin school, public school, Cambridge University)
  
• Bisexual (series of scandals)
• Left England in 1816 for good, befriended Shelley
  
• Famous work: Don Juan
• Byronic hero
• Eccentric, flamboyant and controversial

poemanalysis.com

Ada Lovelace

Lord Byron's daughter: 

  She wrote the first computer program—that is, an algorithm designed to be carried out by a machine

Byron: 

-eccentric!

-flamboyant!

-controversial!

She walks in beauty: outward beauty reflected inner beauty

Let's read the poem now!

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GOAL

She Walks in Beauty

By Lord Byron

Is this poem a sonnet?

1. Yes
2. No

Question explained:

No. This poem has 18 lines, while a sonnet has 14.

What is the rhyme scheme?

1. ABCB
2. ABCD
3. ABAB
4. ABBA

How many syllables (lettergrepen) are there in each line?

1. 4
2. 5
3. 8
4. 10

What is the metre (rhytmic sequence of the syllables?)

1. 4 iambuses per line
2. 3 iambuses per line
3. 4 times unstressed / stressed
4. 2 times unstressed / stressed

What is the effect of the run-on line?

1. You should not stop, but continue reading.
2. You can have a short pause.
3. Attention is drawn to certain words.
4. It seems as if the poet is overwhelmed

How can you easily recognise a run-on line?

1. They never end with a punctuation mark.
2. Focus on the iambic rhythm.
3. The verb is missing.

Is line 1 the only run on line in this poem?

1. yes
2. no: line 3 is also a run-on line.
3. No: line 13 is also a run-on line.

What is a run-on line called in Dutch?

 over a line-break. 

Enjambment or         run-on line 

What figure of speech is contained in line 2?

The night is perfect because? 

• It is a cloudless night and the skies are strewn with stars (association with Mrs Wilmot’s spangled black mourning dress).

 

mourning = rouw

Line 4 is different from the rest in terms of meter. 

What is the actual difference? What is the effect? 

• The first two words are not iambic. The emphasis is placed on the word meet. = trochee (stressed/unstressed)
• The word meet is therefore sharply stressed.

How is the daylight described in line 6? 

• As gaudy. The daylight is associated with something vulgar.
  
•  gaudy = bright / showy

What striking conclusion might one draw from lines 7 to 8?

• If the light and shade were not in such perfect harmony, then her beauty would have been affected; she would only have appeared half as pretty.

Which two aspects of her appearance are named specifically?

1. hair
2. nails
3. body
4. face

Stanza 2+3 are constructed in the same manner. What common structure do they share?

• The first four lines describe her appearance, and the last two her nature.

 

What is emphasised in the last two lines?

• The gentle glow on her face reflects a life of tranquillity and goodness. She is entirely innocent, and not cunning or wily (as many of the ladies in Byron’s circles were).
  

What is your opinion of this poem? Please explain!

Which characteristics of the Romantic Period do we find in this poem? Explain your answer.