A Study Of George Vavasor As A "Byronic Hero" In Anthony Trollope's Can You Forgive Her?

The British writer Anthony Trollope(1815-1882)is one of the most talentedrealists who is capable of fully reflecting the social background in the Victorian Age.He created a quantity of prominent novels, short stories, essays and critical articles.The main hero George Vavasor in Can you forgive her?, the first masterpiece ofPalliser Series, reveals some of characteristics which belongs to Byronic Hero. At thesame time, the creation of this character reflects Trollope's ambivalent attitudetowards the contemporary core values in the Victorian society.Introduction gives a brief account of Anthony Trollope's life and the main contentof the novel Can you forgive her? as well as the critical reviews on this novel fromhome and abroad.Chapter One explores the origin of Byronic Hero and its transformation. Inaddition, this chapter also summarizes the essential traits embodied in Byronic Heroby analyzing Byron's poems and characters.Chapter Two presents the features of George Vavasor as a Byronic hero and thecauses of his character formation. He is a lonely rebel, an extreme avenger and apassionate lover. All these personalities result from the family surroundings and socialenvironment.Chapter Three analyzes the significance of George Vavasor as a Byronic Hero.The fact that Byron, an extraordinary poet in Romantic era, plays an important role onTrollope is not the only reason why Trollope, who is known for his realistic writingstyle, delineates a romantic figure like George Vavasor. Furthermore, the characterenables the writer to express his ambivalent attitude- criticism of and compromise tothe capitalist system. In the last Chapter, I come to the conclusion that the creation ofByronic Hero George Vavasor illustrates Trollope's point of view about core values inthe Victorian Age.