Byron and God: Representations of religion in the writings of Lord Byron

Abstract

Although Lord Byron's poetry has been studied in some depth over the last two hundred years, one particular aspect of that poetry has often been slighted: his representation of religion. Religion is a major feature of Byron's poetry, both as a source of imagery and as a subject of commentary. In the early nineteenth century, readers could be expected to understand and to respond to a range of biblical references and theological concepts, and this thesis explores those representations. Ten of Byron's major poems are considered in detail here: Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Don Juan, The Giaour, The Bride of Abydos, The Corsair, Lara, The Siege of Corinth, Manfred, Cain, and Heaven and Earth. These are the works which focus most heavily upon religious topics, whereas other writings by the poet are discussed only where particularly relevant. While most of these ten concern Christianity, The Giaour, The Bride of Abydos, The Corsair, Lara, and The Siege of Corinth deal in more detail with Islam, and some other religious systems are occasionally mentioned. In the consideration of such representations of religion, crucial considerations are the characterization of God, the differences between depictions of the clergy and depictions of the laity, the respect afforded to sacred texts, and especially the comparison of orthodoxy ('correct opinion') with orthopraxy ('correct practice'). Many of these points vary considerably throughout the corpus of Byron's poetry, but certain consistencies are evident. One is the generally-respectful representation of the figure of God. Another is the frequent condemnation of heteropraxy and the careful avoidance of criticism of orthodoxy, even to the extent of criticizing heteropraxy from an orthodox viewpoint. A third is the resistance to dogmatism, coupled with a scepticism or even a hostility towards ecclesiastical authority. Throughout his work, then, the poet validates a devout but unconventional faith, one which failed to please his more conservative contemporaries but which was nonetheless far from the atheism with which he is often charged.