Abstract

The tradition of the sublime in literary criticism begins with Longinus's treatise, On the Sublime, in the first century A.D. Hereafter, the term "sublime" would signify hypsos, the elevation of style or excellence in writing. Yet what the sublime specifically represents has remained debatable according to changing literary tastes, especially since the second half of the eighteenth century. In fact, sublimity in poetics lies at the heart of Romanticism; for where the sublime and Romanticism converge, transcendence becomes the object of poetic expression. By now, all of the major English Romantic poets have received considerable treatment within the tradition of the sublime; that is, all but one--Byron. ;Lord Byron cuts a unique figure in that his poetic style runs counter to the rest of the Romantic writers. Satire--his best poetic medium--likewise seems antithetical to the movement in literature defined by writers like Wordsworth and Keats. However, Byron's satiric masterpiece, Don Juan, imparts a sublime expression of the individual's diminutive status in modern life. From the very first stanza onward, Byron's narrator calls into question the values of ancient epic tradition. He also discusses, with honesty, themes like love, freedom, and true heroism; for Byron these maintain an integral relationship to poetry and human life, especially if humanity is to save itself from the forces of self-destruction. ;Throughout his career Byron remained highly aware of the sublime in literary expression, and in Don Juan the narrator's repeated references to sublimity mark this issue as much more than a passing fancy. Byron came to believe, moreover, that many of his contemporary poets had given over to sentimental delusions in their poetry; conversely, his satire exposes human folly, institutionalized oppression, and hypocritical moral systems. It is, finally, Byron's poignant commitment to capturing the truth in human nature, human life, and the spirit of mankind that ushers in the Byronic sublime