Heritage of Storms: Lord Byron, His Romantic Inheritance and His Artistic Legacy
A talk with Elizabeth Merry about the the romantic inheritance and artistic legacy of Lord Byron.
Byron’s family history is a story as turbulent and passionate as that of any of his romantic and troubled heroes. The lame son of ‘Mad Jack’ Byron, gambler, renegade Guardsman and debauched seducer of high society beauties, and rich heiress Catherine Gordon of Gight, who herself came from a long line of lawless and violent Scottish aristocracy, Lord Byron’s was indeed a heritage of storms. This talk starts with a look at the background and upbringing of ‘Mrs Byron’s crooked devil’, as his schoolfellows in Aberdeen described him, his unexpected succession to the Byron title and his development as peer, philanderer and poet. The stormy political upheavals of the late c18th and early c19th century and the ongoing tide of Romanticism in art and literature show Byron very much as a child of his time. But his artistic legacy is one for all time; of all the Romantic poets Byron has been the most influential on subsequent art, literature and drama. Elizabeth Merry looks at this legacy and sees how Byron is still making waves today.
Elizabeth Merry has worked for the WEA, Universities of Bristol and Southampton Departments of Adult Continuing Education; Dillington House Summer School, Royal Society of Arts, Jane Austen Society, Thomas Hardy Society, Finzi Society, Dorset County Museum, The Arts Society (formerly known as NADFAS), The Art Fund and various Literary, Historical and Philosophical Societies.
She has been a co-lecturer on European study tours to Rome (Renaissance and Classical); Aachen and Cologne (History, Art and Music) and Brittany and the Dordogne (Palaeolithic and Neolithic culture and art). She has also lectured on study weekends in the UK on Jane Austen (based in Bath and Winchester); the Brontës (based in and around Haworth), Thomas Hardy (based in Dorchester) and Shakespeare (based in Stratford-upon-Avon), as well as being the guest lecturer on a recent literary tour of the West Country. Elizabeth has toured Australia and New Zealand as a lecturer, and returned to Australia for further lecture tours in both 2014 and 2015. She has also lectured in France, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Malta.
Event is free to access. Subscribe to the Haddo Arts YouTube channel for updates and specific link. Donations requested: www.haddoarts.com/donations
© 2024 Event information from Data Thistle.
The information included in the What's On Data has been supplied to VisitAberdeenshire by Data Thistle and is subject to changes. Readers are advised to check with the venue or event organiser before relying in any way on the details published here. VisitAberdeenshire and Data Thistle are unable to accept responsibility for any loss or liability arising from any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in these listings.