Book contents
- Romantic Epics and the Mission of Empire
- Cambridge Studies in Romanticism
- Romantic Epics and the Mission of Empire
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction Invoking the Epic Poem
- Chapter 1 Epic Conversions
- Chapter 2 The Revival of the Missionary Enterprise
- Chapter 3 Heroes of Conquest and Conversion
- Chapter 4 Ann Yearsley’s ‘Brutus’ As Evangelical Epic Poem
- Chapter 5 ‘Authority from Heaven’
- Chapter 6 ‘A Particular Favourite of Heaven’
- Chapter 7 ‘Mark Well My Words! They Are of Your Eternal Salvation’
- Chapter 8 Epic Evangelism in The Prelude and Don Juan
- An Epilogue In Medias Res: Fragmentation Past and Future
- Book part
- Select Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in Romanticism
Chapter 8 - Epic Evangelism in The Prelude and Don Juan
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 November 2023
- Romantic Epics and the Mission of Empire
- Cambridge Studies in Romanticism
- Romantic Epics and the Mission of Empire
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction Invoking the Epic Poem
- Chapter 1 Epic Conversions
- Chapter 2 The Revival of the Missionary Enterprise
- Chapter 3 Heroes of Conquest and Conversion
- Chapter 4 Ann Yearsley’s ‘Brutus’ As Evangelical Epic Poem
- Chapter 5 ‘Authority from Heaven’
- Chapter 6 ‘A Particular Favourite of Heaven’
- Chapter 7 ‘Mark Well My Words! They Are of Your Eternal Salvation’
- Chapter 8 Epic Evangelism in The Prelude and Don Juan
- An Epilogue In Medias Res: Fragmentation Past and Future
- Book part
- Select Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in Romanticism
Summary
The book concludes with a chapter that links my argument to the poetic theory and epic practice of the canonical Romantics. Situating Wordsworth’s Prelude and Byron’s Don Juan in the epic revival reveals how they participate in the trends of the period by addressing the tensions of the evangelical turn of empire. The Prelude elaborates the tradition of epic poetry that broadly affirms assumptions of British imperialism while resisting and seeking to temper its worst aspects. Don Jua, on the other hand, may be read as an extension of more subversive uses of the epic genre, attempting oppose imperialism – or at least many of its forms – by decrying the very idea of transforming others. Yet in Byron’s rejection of conversion, and in his embrace of a subjectivity made thinkable by the increasing secularization of the world, he offers an alternate path for reclaiming a sense of wholeness, one grounded in doubt and critical thought.
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- Romantic Epics and the Mission of Empire , pp. 225 - 259Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023