Apocalyptic Imagery in Byron's "Darkness"

Savo Fouad Karam

Abstract


Lord Byron’s much-neglected apocalyptic poem “Darkness†appears to predict the devolution of humankind and the end of the natural world. Reading “Darkness,†which was written in tandem with Canto III of his romance verse Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, one cannot help but express concern about Byron’s state of mind. Was he, in a state of despondency and resentment, envisioning a world on the verge of ending? Or was he a visionary poet imagining how nature would avenge callous, uncaring man who continues to vandalize the world’s resources without mercy? In such a peculiar, somewhat science fictional poem, Byron’s ideal vision of the past appears to fuse with the present and future to reflect reality in the ostensibly “incredible.†In other words, Byron’s dream poem turns out to be apocalyptic. As a matter of fact, dreams and prophecies are two major tenets of a Romantic mind. This paper will provide an ecocritical reading of “Darkness†and will consider what impelled Byron to write such anominous poem and uncover his prophetic vision and its implications for humanity’s future and the natural world.


Keywords


“Darkness,” science fictional poem, Lord Byron, devolution of humankind, apocalyptic visions, implications for humanity and nature

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References


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International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

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