Rochester and Edward - Part 3 of the Byronic heroes series. How are they similar?

Go here if you're looking for my post for the A-Z Challenge. Currently showing is Q for Queenlsand. Next is R for ...and you won't want to miss this personal anecdote...

And a warm welcome to all my new followers who have joined me here at L'Aussie Writing. I appreciate each one of you and have visited you if there was a link, or if you left a comment.

Now onto our Byronic Hero. Today we compare Rochester and Edward Cullen.

Edward Rochester, the hero of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre (1847), feels no guilt for wooing Jane, even though he is already secretly married. When Jane learns of the existence of the mad Bertha Mason, kept imprisoned in the attic at Thornfield Hall, Rochester says: "I am little better than a devil at this moment." He wants to keep Jane as his mistress, but Jane refuses and flees.

At the end of the novel when Jane returns to find a blind and maimed Rochester, he finally expresses some guilt that he is no longer worthy of Jane: "I am no better than the old lightning-struck chesnut tree in Thornfield orchard...And what right would that ruin have to bid a budding woodbine cover its decay with freshness?"

Rochester's guilt feelings are remarkably short-lived and he and Jane marry immediately.

Rather than being tormented by guilt, like many Byronic heroes, Rochester primarily suffers from the effects of his dark secret which renders him mysterious and frightening. Jane describes him as proud, sardonic, moody, imperious, morose. Just as Edward tends to brood, most often about how his vampirism will affect Bella, so too is Rochester melancholy, though he does not blame himself for his dark secret.

Rochester's isolation is reminiscent of Edward's ninety years without a mate: they both feel doomed to solitude. In Twilight, Alice tells Bella, "It's been almost a century that Edward's been alone. Now he's found you. You can't see the changes that we see, we who have been with him for so long. Do you think any of us want to look into his eyes for the next hundred years if he loses you?" (Twilight, 410-411.)

 Have you given any thought to the equation between the mad Bertha and Edward's vampirism?  When Jane tells Rochester about her vision of the woman with the "fiery eye", "lurid visage" and "gaunt head" who tears her wedding veil, she says it reminded her "of the foul German spectre - the Vampyre." Jane's descriptions of Rochester bear a strong resemblance to Edward - his "flaming and flashing eyes,: his "pale, firm, massive front: like "quarried marble," his face like "colourless rock," and "His eye...was a black eye: it had now a tawny, nay a bloody light in its gloom." Remind you of anyone?

Rochester tries to control the woman he loves, as does Edward. Citing their advanced ages, both Edward and Rochester often take charge of Bella and Jane. While Edward has ninety years on Bella (helped along by a bit of mental telepathy), Rochester says, "I claim only such superiority as must result from twenty years' difference in age and a century's advance in experience." Edward says: "I'm going to be a little...overbearingly protective...I wouldn't want you to think I'm naturally a tyrant." (Twilight, 328.)

Edward and Rochester feel compelled to confide in their love objects. Rochester: "Strange that I should choose you for the confidant in all this...(you) were made to be the recipient of secrets." Edward says: "Having you know about everythng, not needing to keep secrets from you. It makes me...happy." (Twilight, 344.)

There is relief for the Byronic hero as he unburdens his soul of terrible secrets: the absolute honesty that he shares with his love forges their unbreakable connection.

Here is a great blog post on the same topic. And here is another, specifically on Rochester.

With thanks to Nancy R Regin, "Twilight and History."

The Byronic Hero - Part 2 Darcy Fitzwilliam of Pride and Prejudice, Edward Cullen of Twilight, and their love objects...

The Byronic Hero

Thanks for your reactions to my last post. No one had any trouble accepting Darcy, Rochester or Heathcliff as Byronic heroes but some found Edward not in the same class. Well, like I said last post, there are some things we understand in our world and some things are from another world.

I'm going to let the novels do the talking.

Today Darcy takes centre stage, just where he likes to be. When we meet him in Pride and Prejudice (1815) he is an object of fascination for the heroine, Elizabeth Bennet. Darcy is moody, cold, superior and judgmental, yet Elizabeth feels a strong attraction to him despite his aloofness.

In accordance with the reverence due a Byronic hero, when Mr Darcy arrives at the ball in Hertfordshire, he is immediately admired: "Mr Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien; and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year." This admiration turned to disgust during the evening as he was perceived as "proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased."

Like Darcy, Edward makes a strong first impression in the cafeteria. Bella is immediately astounded by him. Jessica Stanley tells Bella that "He's gorgeous...but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here are good looking enough for him." (Twilight, 22.)

For those ignorant of Twilight, that is the brooding Edward on the right.

Both Darcy and Edward are set apart by their emotional distance.

Darcy offends Elizabeth at the ball. He says: "She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men." His haughty rejection of Elizabeth is reminiscent of Edward's expression when Bella is seated next to him in class: "I peeked up at him...,and regretted it. He was glaring down at me..., his black eyes full of revulsion. As I flinched away from him, shrinking against my chair, the phrase if looks could kill suddenly ran through my mind." (Twilight, 24.) Edward is reacting to the overwhelming scent of Bella's blood, Darcy soon decides Elizabeth is "uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes." Like all good Byronic heroes, Edward and Darcy feel self-disgust, even if it is aimed at their love objects.

Neither Elizabeth nor Bella believe they are desired. Elizabeth is disquieted by "how frequently Mr Darcy's eyes were fixed on her...She could only imagine that she drew his notice because there was something about her more wrong and reprehensible, according to his ideas of right..." In the meadow, Bella despairs: "He was too perfect...There was no way this godlike creature could be meant for me." (Twilight, 256.)

When Edward and Darcy declare themselves, it is phrased like surrender. Darcy says, "In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." Edward tells Bella, "I'm tired of trying to stay away from you," and "You are the most important thing to me now..." (Twilight, 85,273.)

I hope you enjoyed this post on Mr Darcy, er, Colin Firth. Tell me what you think...

The Byronic Hero - Darcy, Rochester, Heathcliff and ...Edward.

I love the Byronic Hero, especially since I read 'Twilight History' by Nancy R Reagin. I hope you will find something to interest you too. If you're not a fan of the Twilight series (I admit I was late to the party,) chances are you've read and enjoyed Price and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, all chock full of dashing Byronic heroes.

 Lord Byron, sketch by G. H. Harlow, c 1815

It's no accident that the Twilight saga was such a blockbuster. Stephenie Meyer has done her research, and throughout the story, her attention to detail is amazing. 'They' say that much of the explanation for the success of Twilight is Edward's inhumanly angelic face and perfect, marble body. Twilight satisfies because its universe is both like and unlike ours. Stephenie Meyer's world building has been thought out to the last detail, and casting Edward as the Byronic hero was her coup de grace.

The Byronic Hero: Darcy, Rochester, Heathcliff and…Edward

We all love him or hate him – he’s the tall, dark brooding hero. The Byronic hero, based on the fictional characters of author Lord Byron, is a mysterious man, intelligent, sophisticated, educated, magnetic, charismatic, socially and sexually dominant while at the same time being detached from human society. We suffer his moods accompanied by his bouts of temper. His past is often troubled and he is riddled with self-destructive secrets.

Lord Byron himself, according to his lover Lady Caroline Lamb, was ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know.’ Recent examples of this type include Batman, Dr Gregory House from the television series House, MD, and the late actor James Dean.

The Byronic hero is sometimes called an anti-hero because of his negative qualities. Gilbert and Gubar compare him to a bewitching monster like Milton’s Satan – “He is in most ways the incarnation of worldly male sexuality, fierce, powerful, experienced, simultaneously brutal and seductive, devilish enough to overwhelm the body and yet enough a fallen angel to charm the soul.”

Now to Twilight and how Stephenie Meyer has used Edward to embody the Byronic hero. The Byronic hero's mystery, moodiness and sensuality call to mind Bella’s reaction to Edward in their meadow: “I sat without moving, more frightened of him than I had ever been. I’d never seen him so completely freed of that carefully cultivated façade. He’d never been less human…or more beautiful. Face ashen, eyes wide, I sat like a bird locked in the eyes of a snake.” (Twilight, 264.)

At several points in the saga, Bella notes that Edward’s beauty is terrifying. She describes being captivated by Edward as “locked in the eyes of a snake,” yet she also describes him as an angel.

Early in their meeting, when Bella tries to get Edward to explain how he saved her from being crushed by Tyler’s van, Bella thinks, “I was in danger of being distracted by his livid, glorious face. It was like trying to stare down a destroying angel.” (Twilight, 65.) And in Breaking Dawn, she says, “His face glowed with an expression of triumph that I didn’t understand – it was the expression an angel of destruction might wear while the world burned. Beautiful and terrifying.” (730).

But...the Byronic hero is not simply seductive and strong, he is also tormented. He is well aware of his flaws even as he despises them in others; his introspection often leads him to black moods and self-destructive behaviour. Edward has a penchant for self-flagellation, as does Darcy, Rochester and Heathcliff. Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights are explicitly mentioned in the saga. Foremost is Edward’s name. Bella comes across it in Austen’s works, leading her to wonder, “Weren’t there any other names available in the late eighteenth century?” (Twilight, 148.) In Wuthering Heights we have Edgar and Isabella Linton. In Jane Eyre, Rochester’s first name is Edward.

The Byronic parallels among Edward, Darcy, Rochester are many. I will continue to explore this topic next post.

Colin Firth's Mr Darcy