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Byron: A Life in Verse

3 weekly sessions online, on Thursdays at 6 - 8pm, starting from Thursday 22 October

Overview

Today, Byron’s life is almost as famous as his poetry. This course combines the two – using his auto-biographical and semi-autobiographical poetry to explore his life and work simultaneously. Each week will look at a different era and aspect of his life as we read a range of shorter pieces – some famous and lesser known – letting us behind the scenes into Byron’s own version of his life. We will explore his childhood, his many loves, and his experiences of travel over the course, providing an insight into the life in the early 19th century.

The course aims to give students an introduction to some of Byron’s (semi)biographical poetry. It enables students to understand the biographical basis of a range of his poetry. Students will be able to analyse these poems using historical and literary approaches.

This course will be of interest to anyone interested in Byron, Romantic poetry, and queer history.

Syllabus

  • Week 1: Boyhood

Students will be provided with a poetry pack including a range of poems from Hours of Idleness (1807) and early unpublished works.

  • Week 2: Loves

Students will be provided with a poetry pack including a range of poems, including the Edleston poetry, and poetry written to and for Mary Chaworth and Augusta Leigh.

  • Week 3: Travel

Students will be provided with a poetry pack including a range of poems and extracts from longer works (including Childe Harold) exploring Byron’s experience of travel.

Course lecturer

Sam Hirst completed their PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University and later turned this research into their first book Theology in the Early British and Irish Gothic, 1764-1834. They are currently working on a book on demonic representation in Gothic fiction. They have published and spoken widely on the Gothic, popular romance, and theologies of the supernatural. They run the weekly lecture programme Romancing the Gothic which invites expert speakers from around the world on all topics more or less Gothic. They are also a regular collaborator with Newstead Abbey, Byron's ancestral home, and the Bronte Parsonage. They have taught English at the universities of Liverpool. Sheffield, Manchester Metropolitan and Oxford Brookes and have conducted post-doctoral research on Byron's life and legacy at the University of Nottingham.

Course fee

  • Standard fee: £50
  • Concession fee: £35