The conflict between body and mind, dust and deity, is a well-established theme which appears in a variety of guises in Byron's poetry. One recurring element in the body of Byron's work that reflects this dichotomy is the phenomenon of time, which can be viewed as both an objective power and subjective experience. This study examines the thematic importance of the many facets of time to Byron's poetry, asserting time's destructive power over the dust as well as the deity's power over time, the mind's power to alter or transcend time. / Chapter One provides background information about time, emphasizing its importance to humanity's exploration of ourselves and our world. Time was becoming a much more intrusive force in human life during Byron's era, as rapid change and developing studies in history, philosophy, and science were undermining uniform notions of time and expanding the role of the individual mind. Chapter Two examines biographical information presenting an overwhelming picture of Byron as a man contending with time in its many finite forms and infinite implications. Chapter Three begins the exploration of the poetry, focusing on time as an objective, external power of destruction. In Chapter Four, the focus turns from time as an agent to the human mind as it acts upon time. Chapter Five discusses the intersections of time and eternity, as finite dust strives for the infinite. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-08, Section: A, page: 3141. / Major Professor: Eric Walker. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77537 |
| Contributors | Saunders, Sandra M., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 249 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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