Charles Dickens and the Byronic Hero

Author(s): William R. Harvey

Source: Nineteenth-Century Fiction, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Dec., 1969), pp. 305-316
Published by: University of California Press
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Charles Dickens and

the Byronic Hero

WILLIAM

R.

HARVEY

ITTLE HAS BEEN SAID of CharlesDickens'suse of thatpopular

romanticcharactertypeofthelate eighteenthand earlynineteenth
centuriesin Englandwhichwe have come to knowas the Byronic
hero. With the exception of occasional remarkssuch as Edgar
Johnson'sreferenceto JamesSteerforth's
"Byroniccorruption"1
or Mario Praz's acknowledgment
of Steerforth
as a symbolof the
Romanticpoet in disguise-of Byronin particular2-mostcritics
have eitherfailedto see thetypein Dickens'sworkor have ignored
it. But in Dickens'slater novels thereis certainlysomethingof a
Byronicnature-Byronic,thatis, in the senseof theirbeing more
cynicaland generallyofa darkeroutlookthanhis earlyworks.3
There is,ofcourse,a veryapparentshiftfromthepredominantly
light-hearted
atmosphereof PickwickPapers (1836) or the comic
elementseven in Dombey and Son (1848) to the considerably

darker view and somber world of The Mystery of Edwin Drood

(1870),and accompanying
thatshiftis an attemptat morecomplex
characterportrayal.Edmund Wilson notes of the early Dickens:
"The onlycomplexityofwhichDickens is capable is to make one
ofhisnoxiouscharacters
becomewholesome,one ofhis clownsturn
into a seriousperson." And he adds, "Dickens's difficulty
in his
middle period,and indeed more or less to the end, is to get good
and bad togetherin one character."4 In thisessayI am concerned
William R. Harvey is an assistant professor of English, University of South
Alabama, Mobile.
IEdgar Johnson, Charles Dickens: His Tragedy and Triumph (New York, 1952),
II, 696.
2Mario Praz, The Hero in Eclipse in Victorian Fiction, trans. Angus Davidson
(London, 1956),p. 127.
That Dickens, like many others,equated Byronismwith cynicismand a bitter
outlook is evidenced by a phrase in a letterto Miss Angela Burdett-Couttsin which
he jokingly claimed that he was "in danger of turningmisanthropical,Byronic,and
devilish"; Feb. 28, 1843, The Letters of Charles Dickens, ed. Walter Dexter, "The
Nonesuch Dickens" (Bloomsbury,1938), I, 508-509.
4Edmund Wilson, "Dickens: The Two Scrooges," in The Wound and the Bow
(Boston, 1941),pp. 62-65.

[305]

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306

Fiction
Nineteenth-Century

to link
to achievethisunity.In hisefforts
withDickens'sattempts
hero,
DickensusedtheByronic
goodandbad in a singlecharacter,
periodstemmed
fortheromantic
typewhosefascination
a character
atleastinpartfromthisverycombination.
and popuThe Byronicheroreacheditspeak of development
larityin theworksofLordByron,butas PeterThorslevnotesin
constudyoftheevolutionofthetype,thecharacter
hisexcellent
period:
worksoftheVictorian
tinuedtoappearin numerous
was Byron'slegacyto theliterature
This agonizedHero of Sensibility
oftheage whichsucceededhim.... [He] appearsagainand again...:
analyticofhisownemotionaland spiritualstates,
morbidly
sometimes
to absolutetruth
longingforsomeengagement
and in his Weltschmerz
longingto "mingle
whichwillridhimofhispainfulself-consciousness;
in his desireby
but beingcontinually
frustrated
withthe universe,"
recynical,and sometimes
of his skeptical,sometimes
the reassertion
thisintense
morseful
ego.... Certainlythisproblemof commitment,
(somekindof"entheagonizedpassiveness
self-analysis,
and longdrawn
gagement"being necessaryfor action) reappearin England as the
in muchof Tennydominanttraitsofheroesin Arnold'sEmpedocles,
son's work(see The AncientSage, or passages of In Memoriam),espe-

and evenin Pater'sMarius.5

ciallyclearlyin Clough'sDipsychus,

thattheByronichero,as he appearsin
Thorslevadds,however,
sufferer:
andsensitive
onlyas a solitary
theVictorian
age,"survives
of
hispride,and hiscertainty
withthelossofhistitanicpassions,
he losesalsohisstatusas hero."6 This lossofstatusis
self-identity,
in Dickens'snovels;the
characters
notwhollytrueofthoseByronic
Byronictype-ora variationof it-attainsa leadingroleat least
once.
in the
Dickens'suse of the Byroniccharacter
is foreshadowed
A surveyof Dickens's
dandiesand fopswhoappearin his work.7
S Peter L. Thorslev, Jr., The Byronic Hero: Types and Prototypes(Minneapolis,
1962),pp. 144-145.
Ilbid., p. 187. It is probably this loss of hero status that prompts Thorslev to
write also, "The literarytraditiondied in England almost with Byron.... Generally
speaking... the Romantic heroes did not survive in important works of Victorian
literature"(p. 192). Even so, Thorslev seems to contradicthimselfhere.
7 Probably because of Byron's unconventional and/or avant-garde dress and
appearance, Byronismbecame associated with dandyism. Baudelaire's description of
dandyism,which he called "the last glitter of heroism in a decadence," points to
certain elements which the Byronic hero and the dandy have in common. Dandies
are "disclassed, disgusted, dis-occupied men of great natural powers [who] easily
come to thinkthat theycan found a new aristocracy,which it will be hard to destroy

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Dickens and the Byronic Hero

307

novelsrevealsDick Swiveller,Cousin Feenix, David Copperfield

and Pip (at leastto somedegree),Mr. Turveydrop,HenryGowan,
and JamesHarthouse,to name some of the more prominent.All
unrealizedpotential,and
are characterizedby ennui, restlessness,
uncertainty
of purpose.In addition,thereare severaldandies who
are eitherpartiallyor whollyvillainous: Sir MulberryHawk is a
libertine;John Chesterhas an evil influenceon his illegitimate
son; Carkeris malevolentand diabolical.
But in a numberofrelatedcharactersthereis considerablymore
is obvious betweenSir Multhan just dandyism.The difference
berry Hawk (Nicholas Nickleby, 1839) and James Steerforth
(David Copperfield,1850), betweenCousin Feenix (Dombey and
Son, 1848) and Eugene Wrayburn(Our Mutual Friend, 1865).
when he comparesCarker
AngusWilson pinpointsthisdifference
of Dombey and Son with Steerforth.About Carker he notes a
"sensualityof the cold, calculating,rather epicene imitationByronkind"; but of Steerforth
he observesthe followingcharacteristics:"Steerforth
despisestheworld,he putsothervalues above
work,he sometimeswishesthathe was not wastinghis life,he has
thevestigeof a powerto love or at anyrateto wantto be loved." 8
Most of thesetraits,of course,are typicalof the Byronichero-a
but not by Carker.
typerepresentedbySteerforth,
From his firstappearance in David Copperfield,Steerforthis
portrayedas a cut above his companions,a leader withabilityand
charm.He is the most respectedstudentat school, commanding
the deferenceeven of Mr. Creakle,the tyrannicalmaster.He faces
his opponentswith"scornand anger,"and he is "a noble fellowin
appearance."9 But all his abilitiesseemto be nothingto him. He is
carelesslyoffhandand flippantabout everything.When David
meetshim aftertheir school days together,Steerforthdescribes
himselfas an Oxfordman: "That is to say,I get bored to death
down there,periodically.. ." (xix, 271). But he does not intendto
because theywill base it on the rarestand less destructivefaculties,on extraordinary
giftswhich cannot be won by money or labor" (quoted in Richard Aldington, Four
English Portraits, 1801-1851 [London, 1948], pp. 91-92). The alliance of dandyism
and Byronismis of especial interestin an examination of Dickens's use of the type.
8Angus Wilson, "The Heroes and Heroines of Dickens," in Dickens and the
Twentieth Century," ed. John Gross and Gabriel Pearson (London, 1962), p. 9;
emphasis added.
9Charles Dickens, David Copperfield,vii, 104. For this study I have used the
"Collins New Classics" series of Dickens's novels, printed by the Collins Clear Type
Press (New York, 1952-1956); all futurereferencesto the novels will be incorporated
into the text.

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308

Fiction
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takea degreebecause"I findthatI am heavycompany

enoughfor
myself
as I am"(276).Evenas hisshipgoesdownandhe is aboutto
die, he waveshis red cap to thoseon shorein a last gestureof
and defiancetowardlife.'0
mockery
Like thetypicalByronic
character,
Steerforth
hasabouthiman
air compounded
ofhis polish,his charm,his worldliaristocratic
ness.His snobbish
andindifferent
attitude
towardthelowerclasses,
wholack"sensitivity,"
whilenotatoddswiththeByronic
contempt
forthe"herd"in general,is probably
morereflective
ofDickens's
owndisapproval
of sucha trait.The samemaybe trueof Steerscornofworkand hiswillfulness.
forth's
If Steerforth's
pastis notprecisely
sinful,thereis an elementof
abouthisconnection
withRosaDartle.The readereventumystery
heris the
and embitters
allylearnsthatthescarwhichdisfigures
resultofSteerforth's
violentand passionate
temperament.
Indeed,
Davidseesin bothMrs.Steerforth
and hersonthesame"unyielding,wilfulspirit"(xxxii,434). This characteristic,
combinedwith

a misdirected
results
in hisseduction
andruinofEmily,an
energy,
act sinfullyand rebelliouslyappropriateto the Byronichero,
in theVictorian
particularly
age.
How Steerforth
it
feelsabouthiscrimeafterhe has committed
thereaderneverdiscovers,
butit is clearlyevidentthatbeforethe
deed he knewpangsof conscience
forwhathe was aboutto do.
Thathe recognizes
hisownfaultsandregrets
hisnatureis obvious
as he expostulates
to David,"I wishto God I had had a judicious
father
theselasttwenty
years!"andagain,"I wishwithall mysoul
I hadbeenbetterguided.... I wishwithall mysoulI couldguide
better."
The anguishofremorse,
myself
ofByronism,
characteristic
is apparentin hismoodyreflection,
"It wouldbe betterto be this
poorPeggotty,
orhisloutofa nephew... thantobe myself
twenty
timesricherand twenty
timeswiser,and be thetorment
to myself
thatI havebeen... ." Finallylaughing
offthemood,he explainsit
as having"been afraidofmyself"(xxii, 302-303).

Steerforth
is an extraordinarily
successful
blendof villainand
hero.The readeradmireshim,as doesDavid,in spiteoftheflaws
in his character
and the crimein whichtheyresult.There are
severalreasonsforour admiration.
First,Emilyis so insipidthat
thereader,especially
today'sreader,doesnotfeelgreatsympathy
10The scene is reminiscent
of the comparisonused in Byron'sChilde Harold's
Pilgrimage,
CantoIII, stanza16,lines141-144.

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Dickens and the Byronic Hero

309

over her plight; indeed one speculatesthat her experienceswith

Steerforth
mightwell have compensatedher for the shame that
followed.In addition,Steerforth
vainlystruggleswithhimself,and
his greatregretforwhathis natureleads him to do wins our sympathy.Finally,as David reportshis firstmeetingwith him, it is
clear thatSteerforth
is no ordinaryperson:
Therewasease in hismanner-a gayand lightmannerit was,but not
I stillbelieveto havebornea kindofenchantment
swaggering-which
withit. I stillbelievehim,in virtueof thiscarriage,
his animalspirits,
his delightful
voice,his handsomeface and figure,
and, foraughtI
know,ofsomeinbornpowerof attraction
to havecarrieda spellwith
himto whichit was a naturalweaknessto yield,and whichnot many
personscould withstand.(vii, 110)
And the subsequentnarrativeprovesDavid right.His magnetism
fatallyattractsEmily,but it also winsforeverthe loyaltyof David,
of Dickens, and of the reader. One feels,somehow,that Steerforth,like the traditionalByronichero, is beyond the rules and
regulationsof moreordinarymen. AfterSteerforth's
seductionof
Emily,David speaksof him in languagewhichmakesit clear that
he has stillhis earlyfascination.Even the enormityof Steerforth's
sin, in David's eyes,and the griefthat it occasionscannotnegate
the sympathywith which Dickens has drawn him. "Yes, Steerforth,long removedfromthe scenesof thispoor history!My sorrow may bear involuntarywitnessagainstyou at the Judgement
Throne; but myangrythoughtsor reproachesneverwill, I know"
(XXXII,
421). ManyofDavid's readersfeelthesame.
In Hard Times (1854) and LittleDorrit(1857),twonovelswhich
followedshortlyafterDavid Copperfield,thereare severalcharacterswithsome Byronicresemblances.JamesHarthouse,the political aspirantof the earliernovel,is an exampleof the cynical,sensual indifference
and the scornof the dandyas well as the Byronic
character.In Little DorritBlandois is, as Hillis Miller pointsout,
a linkbetweengentility
and evil,criminality,
or diabolism."Assuch
he approachesthe Byronictype,but he remainsundeniablya villain, dyingan appropriateand unregretteddeath. In the same
novel HenryGowan is characterized
as polished,urbane,sardonic,
and faintlysatanic.Had he a largerpart in Little Dorrit,it seems
11Joseph Hillis Miller, Charles Dickens: The World of His Novels
(Cambridge,
Mass., 1958),p. 229n.

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310

Fiction
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likelythathe woulddevelopalongByronic
lines;he is involvedin
and we are leftonlywithan
littleactionof importance,
however,
of his wastedabilities,his cynicism,
impression
and his feeling
is "hocus-pocus."
thateverything
whois equallydisenchanted
A character
withlifebutwhois far
lessdandified
is SidneyCartonof A Tale of Two Cities(1859).
Justas carelessand recklessin his attitudeas anyof thewastrels
morebitterthanthey:"Asto
whopreceded
him,Cartonis perhaps
me,"he saysto CharlesDarnay,"thegreatest
desireI have,is to
thatI belongtoit[this"terrestial
forget
It hasno goodin
scheme"].
it forme-except wine like this-nor I for it." This attitude
amounts
almosttomisanthropy
whenheadds,"I ama disappointed
drudge,
sir.I careforno manon earth,andno manon earthcares
forme" (II, iv, 104106).-12
Like theByronichero,Cartonis also a manofgreatpotential;
and preparation
it is thelegalresearch
ofcaseswhichhe doesfor
Stryver
thatmakesthelatterso successful.
Dickensemphasizes
this

aspect of Carton'ssituation.There is "no sadder sightthan the

manof good abilitiesand good emotions,

incapableof theirdirectedexercise,
incapableofhisownhelpand his ownhappiness,
sensibleof theblighton him,and resigning
himselfto let it eat
himaway"(II, v, 113).ButCartonis resigned
in justthisway,admitsthathe is incorrigible,
anddrinkstoexcess.At thesametime,
heissomewhat
repentant
forhisdissipation.
He saystoLucie,"The
curseofthoseoccasionsis heavyuponme,forI alwaysremember
them"(II, xx,234).EdgarJohnson
claimsthatCartonis "onewho
a deepsenseofhavingdonewrong,
feelswithinhimself
ofguiltand
13 Such an
remorse,
and of the need of atoningforhis errors."
theobservation
analysis
supports
ofCarton'sByronism,
but ifhis
remorseis simplyforhis dissipation,
it seemsa pallidsubstitute
forthedeeperanguishenduredbytheconventional
Byronic
hero
forhissecretsins;in thisrespectCartonfallsshortofthemark.
The samemaybe said ofhis appearance,
forhe is described
so
oftenas slovenly
and disreputable-looking
thatit is difficult
to see
himas thedashingand striking
Byronicfigure.'4
Dickensfinally
'2Again,compareChildeHarold's Pilgrimage,Canto III, stanza 113,line 1049:
"I havenotlovedtheworld,northeworldme."
'3Johnson,
II, 981.
14In Dickens'sdefenseI quote Thorslev:"Heroes are almostneverfoundto be
'pure' and unalloyedin theirconformity
to a typeexceptperhapsin worksof the
most minorliteraryfigures;one mightsay that the relative'impurity'of the

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Dickens and the Byronic Hero

311

refersto his "naturallyhandsomefeatures,"which,however,are

clouded by a "wastedair" (III, ix, 344).
More in keepingwith the traditionalfigureare Carton'ssensitivityand his moroseand gloomymoods. In regardto the former
(and also in connectionwith Carton's remorse),Dickens writes
thatCarton's"pillow was wet withwastedtears"(II, v, 113). This
evidentin his devotionto Lucie,
aspectofhisnatureis particularly
who saysof him, "he has a hearthe veryseldom reveals,and...
thereare deep wounds in it.... I have seen it bleeding" (II, xx,
234). Also in thetraditionis hisinclinationto seekdeathas a relief.
himselfto assureLucie's happiness,but
It is truethathe sacrifices
hiscarelessand wearyattituderevealhis longingforescape.As Cartonhimselfsays,"I am not old,butmyyoungwaywasnevertheway
to age" (III, ix, 345). Dickenscomments(thoughnot in a directreferenceto Carton),"In seasonsof pestilence,some of us will have a
secretattractionto thedisease-a terriblepassinginclinationto die
ofit" (III, vi,315). Carton'sfamousfinalwordsshowhiswillingness,
even eagerness,to meetdeath.
This eager anticipationof death is an occasional trait of the
Byronichero,but it is noteworthy
thatCarton'sdeathis a purposeful one, apparentlythefirstworthwhileeventof his life; and what
is perhapsmoreimportantis thathis deathresultsfromhis selfless
dedicationto Lucie. Thus Dickensdiminishedmuchof theByronism thatsurroundsCarton,one of the hallmarksof the Byronic
characterbeing his totallyegocentricbehavior.As Carton plans
Darnay'sescape(and hisown death),he loseshis listlessness.
He has
"the settledmannerof a tiredman,who had wanderedand struggled and gotlost,butwho at lengthstruckintohis road and saw its
end" (III, ix, 348). And it is at thistimethatMissProssobserves"a
bracedpurpose"in Carton'sarm and a "kind of inspirationin his
eyes"(III, viii,332).
JohnGrossobservesthat"A Tale of Two Citiesendsfairlycheerfullywithitsherogettingkilled."15Althoughhe is rightabout the
toneof theending,it would be moreaccurateto saythatthenovel
endshappilywithhalfof itsherogettingkilled.The otherhalf,of
course,is SidneyCarton'sdouble,CharlesDarnay;he escapesdeath
character
as a typeis in directproportionto the relativegeniusof the author"(p.
23).

l John Gross, "A Tale of Two Cities," in Dickens and the Twentieth Century,

ed. JohnGrossand GabrielPearson(London,1962),p. 187.

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312

Nineteenth-Century
Fiction

withthewomanwhoinspired
Carton'ssacriandlivescontentedly
was theclosestthatDickenshad
fice.'6SidneyCartonas half-hero
character
cometo makinga Byronic
theprotagonist
of one of his
theroleofleadingcharacter,
novels.AndCarton,as he approaches
less"pure"as a Byronic
whohas
ismanifestly
typethanSteerforth,
no pretensions
tobeingtheheroofhisstory.
In Dickens'slastcompletednovel,Our Mutual Friend (1865),he

to place a Byroniccharacter
in the lead role.'7
againattempted
and HenryGowanand a numEugeneWrayburn,
likeSteerforth
berofothersbeforehim,is againthecharming
butidleand indolentgentleman.
Johnson
describes
himas a "rebeland misfit
who
can findnothingto believein and nothingworthdoingin the
world."18 Eugenehimselfsumsup his natureand his attitude
towardconventionalities
as he observesjocularlyto his friend
Mortimer
"I am in a ridiculoushumour...; I am a
Lightwood,
ridiculous
fellow.Everything
is ridiculous"
(I, xiii,168).Or again,
thistimein a moredeeplyself-analytical
mood:"You knowwhatI
I am
am,mydearMortimer.
You knowhowdreadfully
susceptible
to boredom.You knowthatwhenI becameenoughof a man to
findmyself
an embodiedconundrum,
I boredmyself
to the last
degreebytrying
tofindoutwhatI meant.You knowthatat length
I gaveitup,anddeclinedtoguessanymore"(II, xxiv,278).
Wrayburn's
character
is strongly
reminiscent
ofSteerforth's,
but
becausehe is theheroofthestory
(orat leastoneofthem),Dickens
16Hillis Miller also notes this division of the hero, necessary,he feels, "to fulfill
the theme of 'resurrection'(that is, descent into death and return from it to a life
at last given a meaning) ..." (p. 248).
17Not all may agree, however, that Eugene Wrayburn is the hero of the novel.
John Harmon, alias Julian Handford, alias John Rokesmith,in some ways is a more
obvious hero. He certainlyoccupies a more centralposition in the storyand draws the
various threads of the narrative together.Arnold Kettle has noted that his function
is to connect diversecharactersand diverseareas and themes: the area of wealth and
the area of poverty,the river and the dust-heaps, the Boffinsand the Wilfers,and
Eugene Wrayburn and Lizzie Hexam. See Kettle's discussion,"Our Mutual Friend,"
in Dickens and the Twentieth Century,ed. John Gross and Gabriel Pearson (London, 1962), pp. 214-215. Harmon is the main figure around whom revolves the
mysterywhich is central to the novel, although his identity is revealed to the
reader about half-waythroughthe novel. But as a hero, he lacks statureand interest.
In his position as unifyingcharacter,he functionspassively;eventsoccur around him,
but he does not bring them about, nor do theyseem to affecthim as much as theydo
others.
Wraybum, on the other hand, is a sharplydelineated figure,activelyinvolved in
the plot and clearly motivated.Angus Wilson sees Wraybum as the most developed
hero in Dickens's work (p. 10). He is certainlythe most developed hero in this novel.
:8Johnson, II, 1034.

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Dickens and the Byronic Hero

313

showsmoreclearlyhis personality;the portrayalhas more psychologicalsubstance.Hillis Miller saysof Wrayburn,

of
In theend... boredombecomesanguish,theanguishedrecognition
ofselfand world.A personsuffering
thisanguish
thejointnothingness
thenullity,of thingswithinthe
theemptiness,
seestheinsignificance,
returnsthe selfto
closedcircuitof thehumanizedworld.Everything
to nothing.Such a characterbecomes'like one cast
itself,therefore
to trustin, and care for,and think
away,forthewantof something
well of.'... ... 19

or "worldverylittlefromthe Weltschmerz,
This conditiondiffers
pain,"whichThorslevnotesas a traitoftheByronichero.Eugene's
fromthiscause, in combinationwith his otherByronic
suffering
traits,indicatesclearlyhis kinshipto thetraditionaltype.
Certainly,if Wrayburnlooked to his societyforthe something
and his belief that
to trustin or thinkwell of, his indifference
is ridiculous"are well founded.The circle that Eu"everything
gene moves in is representedby Podsnap, Veneering,and "the
divine Tippins"-all of whom point up its arroganceand hypocrisy.Eugene feelsnothingbut contemptfortheseselfish,narrowminded people. On the occasion of the various dinnerpartiesin
the novel, where Dickens shows "society"at its best, Eugene is
alwaysgloomy(his usual mood) and taciturn;he contributesonly
His scornforsocietyand people
an occasionalsarcasticwitticism.20
in generalshowsclearlyin the followingexchangebetweenhim
and Mortimer:
on an isolatedrockin a stormy
"If we were[tendinga lighthouse]
withhis eyeson the fire,"Lady Tippins
sea," said Eugene,smoking,
couldn'tput offto visitus, or, betterstill,mightput offand get
Therewould
swamped.Peoplecouldn'taskone to weddingbreakfasts.
Precedentof
be no Precedents
to hammerat, excepttheplain-sailing
keepingthelightup. It wouldbe excitingto lookout forwrecks."
Lightwood,
"theremightbe a degreeof
"But otherwise,"
suggested
samenessin thelife."
"I havethoughtof thatalso,"said Eugene,as if he reallyhad been
thesubjectin itsvariousbearingswithan eyeto thebusiconsidering
It wouldnot
ness;"but it wouldbe a definedand limitedmonotony.
extendbeyondtwo people.Now it's a questionwithme, Mortimer,
91Miller, p. 301; the internal quote from Our Mutual Friend, II, xxxviii, 336.
20See, forexample, II, II, 29, 31, 33, and II, x, 126, 128.

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314

Fiction
Nineteenth-Century

definedwithprecisionand limitedto thatextent

a monotony
whether
mightnot be moreendurablethantheunlimitedmonotony
of one's

fellow-creatures."(I, xiI, 149)

Like SidneyCarton,Wrayburnis onlymildlysinful;or at least

we don't see his sins.DickensshowedEugene's faults-much as he
did in his autobiographicalrenderingof David Copperfieldand
Pip-but he washesitantto makehis herotoo sinful,evenwhenhe
is oftheByronictype.Sin is alwayspaid forin Dickens'snovels,and
thepunishmentis alwayssevere.As it is, Eugene almostdies; were
he more wicked,we should surelylose him. There is a touch of
rakishnessabout Eugene, too, which suggeststhat,
Steerforth's
even thoughwe aren't shown his worstside, he is hardlybetter
thanhe shouldbe. It is doubtfulthathismotivesin pursuingLizzie
Hexam are honorable.Althoughhe loves her and eventuallymarriesher,marriageis apparentlynot his originalintention.Eugene
acknowledgeson severaloccasionsthat "Heaven knowsI am not
on his nature(as it affects
good"; and he reflects
Lizzie) as one that
"exactsits pains and penaltiesall round" but one thathe mustgo
throughwith(III, Lvi, 654). Afterhis marriagehe tells Mortimer
thathe would havereceivedno morethanhe deservedifLizzie had
turnedhim over withher footwhen she foundhim injured and
"spatin mydastardface"(III, LXVI, 758). It seemsclearenoughthat
Eugene planned to seduce Lizzie and, therefore,
resemblesSteerfortheven moreclosely.
In WrayburnDickens again chose to reformhis Byronichero,
and beforethe storyends,manyof Eugene's Byronicqualities are
negated.Eugene findsin Lizzie somethingand someoneto care for;
almostmiraculouslyhe comes to accept what Arnold Kettlecalls
"the popular values of thosewho workwith theirhands."21 As a
result,he decides to "turn to" in earnest,somethingthat he has
never done and thatseems completelyout of characterfor him.
And, ofcourse,it is out of character,
forwe don't expectthisfrom
the traditionalByroniccharacter.It is as inappropriateforWrayburn as it would have been for Childe Harold or Manfredor
and thusDickens'smodification
Steerforth,
can only be called inartistic.Steerforth
remainsDickens'smostsuccessful
creationin the
mold of the Byronictype;Wrayburn,as Angus Wilson observes,
is merely"Steerforth
redeemed."22
1Kettle,P. 225.
' Angus Wilson, 8.
p.

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Dickens and the Byronic Hero

315

In the unfinishedMysteryof Edwin Drood (1870), thereis no

clearlyrecognizableByroniccharacter,
althoughNeville Landless's
disposition,with his intensepassionsand fierceindividualism,is
somewhatreminiscent
ofthetype.Apparently,
however,theattraction of criminalityand the problemof combininggood and evil
werestillstrongin Dickens.JohnJasperappearsto be closerto the
Gothic villain than he does to the Byroniccharactertype,but
Dickensmayhave had in minda case of "multiplepersonality."If
of the
so, Jaspermighthave developedas an artisticmodification
Byronichero. One can imaginethe remorsefeltby one "self" for
thecrimesof theother.
AlthoughDickensfoundtheByronicheroa usefulcharactertype
to employin his novels,it is quite clear thathe was no Byronist.
He was moreoftenconcernedwithopeningthe eyesof his readers
not so muchto anypersonalvisionof hypocrisy
or sham in society
as to theneed forcertainsocial reforms.He was essentiallyan optimisticman, and even late in his careerwhen his optimismhad
dimmedsomewhatand his awarenessof thePodsnapsand Veneeringshad sharpened,he was stillfarfromthe completedisillusionmentof the Byronicspokesman.As Edgar Johnsonhas observed,
Dickens "was too inveteratea fighterforyieldingto despair.No
one was furtherthanDickensfromtheByronicmood of futilityor
the erraticcynicismhe had triedto portrayin Steerforth."
He was
inspired by "impassionedpurposefulnessand the convictionof
23 Dickenshimself
the meaningfulness
of effort."
wrote,
It is nottheprovinceofa Poetto harpuponhisowndiscontents,
or to
teachotherpeoplethattheyoughtto be discontented.
Leave Byronto
hisgloomygreatness,
and do you
Find tonguesin trees,booksin therunningbrooks,
Sermonsin stones,and goodin everything.24
Somethingof thisdispositionis reflectedin the transformations
that both SidneyCarton and Eugene Wrayburnundergoand by
whichtheyare purgedofmuchoftheirByronism.Indeed,one may
even see in thisattitudeand the changesthatit imposedon these
twocharacters(whateverhe maythinkof theartisticworthofthose
changes)one of thereasonsforDickens'suse of the Byronicfigure.
In contrastto genuine Byronism,Dickens's convictionsare em2 Johnson,II, 697, 821.
24Letter to S. Harford,Nov. 25, 1840,Letters,I, 279.

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316

Fiction
Nineteenth-Century

bodiedin Carton'sand Wrayburn's

modifications;
thetwocharactersarealmostan affirmation
ofhisprinciples.
minorreasonsunderlying
Undoubtedly,
thereareother,
perhaps
a
Dickens'sexcursionintoByronism.
As shrewdbusinessman
as
wellas a brilliantwriter,
he was perfectly
willingto caterto his
publicwhenitwasnecessary
todo so. Ifhisreaderswerefascinated
bythekindofsensationalism
inherent
in theByronic
hero,Dickens
wouldcertainly
giveit to them.And he was probablyalso motivatedbytheawareness
thathismoststriking
andmemorable
characterswerehisvillains,nothisheroes.The Byroniccharacters
in
Dickens's
novelsmightwellhavebeenattempts
tocapitalizeon this
ability.
A muchmoreimportant
and intriguing
is rereason,however,
latedtoDickens'stendency
to identify
himself
withhischaracters.
Whenthecharacter
was an extension
forexample,it
of himself,
andatonedforthoseofDickens'sownfaultswhichhe had
suffered
tothecharacter.
EdmundWilsonhasnoted,"Fortheman
ascribed
ofspiritwhosechildhood
hasbeencrushedbythecruelty
oforganizedsociety,
one oftwoattitudes
is natural:thatofthecriminalor
thatoftherebel.CharlesDickens,in imagination,
wasto playthe
rolesofboth...." 25 Therecouldhardlybe a moreadaptablecharactertypeforthispurposethantheByronic
hero-a character
that
ofboththecriminal
includedelements
andtherebel.Butjustas in
Dickens'sreallifehe hadsuppressed
anyrebelliousness
orcriminal
so too did he findit necessary
inclinations,26
to purgeWrayburn
and CartonoftheirByronism
beforehe couldallowthemto pass
as heroes.Significantly,
of The
JohnJasper,themaincharacter
Mystery
ofEdwinDrood,is nota hero.Instead,he is evidently
the
murderer,
althoughhe maynot be awareof his owncrime.Respectableand piouson theoutside,he is tortured
by irresistible
and unconscious
impulsestowardevilon theinside.Andperhaps,
as EdmundWilsonhassuggested,
he toois a reflection
ofDickens's
interpretation
ofcertainhiddenaspectsofhisownpersonality.27
25EdmundWilson,p. 15.
connectionwith Dickens'spublic readingof the murderscene in Oliver
Twist,however,
it is intriguing
to read his jokingreferences
to "his murderousinstincts"and his "vague sensationof being 'wanted'as I walk about the streets."
Letterto W. P. Frith,Nov. 16,1868,Letters,
III, 678.
27See alsoJohnson,
II, 1123.
20In

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