Lord Byron: ‘another great breakup artist’
In het artikel Break up songs owe a lot to the love lorn lyrics of the Romantics op de The Conversation plaatst Anthony Howe hedendaagse break-up songs in een historische context. Hij komt nadat hij William Wordsworth en Samuel Coledridge genoemd heeft al snel uit bij Lord Byron: ‘The titan of Romantic disappointment (and wine abuse) was Lord Byron, another great breakup artist.’
Volgens Anthony Howe schreef Lord Byron met ‘Love may sink by slow decay,/ But by sudden wrench, believe not,/ Hearts can thus be torn away’ – regels uit het gedicht Fare Thee Well – ‘the most powerful, but also complex, break-up lyrics in the English language’.
Maar Howe waarschuwt de lezers van Byrons break-up song ook:
‘Byron’s break-up lyrics are not always what they seem. His poems to Lady Byron are canny public relations exercises with a nasty side.
Like Taylor Swift and Adele he was a major celebrity who knew the world was fascinated by his personal life. By taking control of the narrative in the public sphere, he could limit the damage to his reputation and deflect from his undoubted culpability in the affair. In the end, he realised that acceptance was the best policy.’
