LITR 4328 American Renaissance Research Posts 2015 (research post assignment) Research Post 2

Mariah Glidden

The Byronic Heroine

          The Byronic hero is a guy who is dark, troubled, broody, and attractive. He normally carries around a secret that haunts him and makes him darkly appealing to the reader. But, what about the Byronic heroine? You hear far less of her, she’s not nearly as common in literature but she’s out there. If you search the web for “Byronic heroine” you will get age and page of Byronic hero’s and hardly anything on heroines. Patriarchy at its finest.

          The Byronic heroine is rare, but there are a few examples. The first that comes to mind is Ligeia in Poe’s writing of the same name. He describes her as “she, the outwardly calm, the ever-placid Ligeia, was the most violently a prey to the tumultuous vultures of stern passion” (Ligeia). This woman was consumed with passion, a trait that women of that time ought to not have. She is described as “violently” passionate which takes away some of her feminine qualities and makes her seem darker and a bit dangerous.

          Cora in Last of the Mohicans is more of a “dark lady” (that is a darker counterpart to a fair lady) than a Byronic heroine, but she has a few Byronic qualities. She has a secret, that isn’t so secretive, but haunts her none the less. She is of mixed race, giving her darker skin and hair than her sister who is blonde haired and blue eyed. She also is very assertive in her speech, a quality that “nice” women didn’t have.

          The Byronic heroine is difficult to find, but when you do you will love her. She’s powerful, mysterious, dangerous, and beautiful. She is a woman who doesn’t follow typical gender roles and she is isolated from society and often ends that isolation by death. She is the same as the Byronic hero and should be give the same recognition.