526 Matching Annotations
  1. Jun 2016
    1. backstage’

      scarequotes indicates source/keyterm?

    2. To See and Be Seen:Celebrity Practice onTwitterAlice MarwickMicrosoft Research, USAdanah boyd

      why no caps in the name.......is this part of her "personal brand" as micro-celebrity?

    1. Unfortunately for Lord Byron and the general public, Byron’s name transcends any of his actions or even his writings, as with every celebrity (especially today), those looking into the glass house jump to conclusions quickly and are even quicker to share their findings about the person they believe the celebrity to truly be.

      This thesis still hasn't QUITE come together--I think you need another term like "ordinary man" or "human being": to capture the way you see Byron's poetry as personal without being ABOUT the celebrity aspect of his persona...

    2. less of a poet, and more of a rock star.

      Hmmm--why not the other way around? In other words, if he was truly indifferent to celebrity, then the rockstar trappings wouldn't affect his "real" (poetic) self. the name that future generations would see on the title page of the books that outlived him...

    3. Lord Byron didn’t really care about all the fuss that media stirred up by dramatizing the life of a young, successful poet

      This claim, I think, depends on a selective reading of the sources. (And that's OK, given my assignment...) Looking into "The Corsair" or "Lara" would force you to complicate this assertion.

    4. or even the sexual drive that used to overcome him

      I think a careful look at the latter sections of Marchand's essay would persuade you to rethink this claim...

    5. “My epitaph shall be my name alone”

      Right--but, this is a double-edged sword: imagine if Shakespeare had said this...."I don't care about fame / I will transcend ordinary fame"

    6. Byron’s mind had only begun to scratch the surface of sensation that sentience provides human beings

      This is lofty writing! There's nothing wrong with being lofty--but it works best when linked to something concrete: eg, a piece of evidence that B. felt this way; a reason why YOU need to say that B felt this way....

    7. (Byron Line 1)

      "Fragment" would avoid potential ambiguity

    1. “lionized in Whig Society” (Page 2)

      yes--but note that this was "in the wake of" (as a consequence of) the publication of CHP!

    2. and created a mysterious veil for the Baron.

      Yes! And "The Corsair," "Lara", and other poems featured Byronic protagonists who were themselves mysterious...

    3. Lord Byron led a mysterious and secretive life,

      Hmmm--was he "secretive" about anything in particular? How does this relate to his frank/blatant side? (I agree with your overall take; would it be clearer to say that he was blatant about having mystery? "The Corsair" and "Lara" both have protagonists with secrets..)

    4. as not to diminish Lord Byron’s nature and it’s large contribution towards his popularity at the time.

      one remaining problem with this thesis: is B's "nature" connected to his celebrity, his poetic achievement, or both?

    5. absurd

      why "absurd"?

    1. but his specific case makes a point to analyze expectations and ability as two separate factors.

      again, this is a place where stepping forward with "I" could help you out stylistically...

    2. in an open-ended verses such as “Should her lineaments resemble/ Those thou never more may’st see” (41-42 pg.4).

      ? You need more context here for your reader (the "daughter" reference should come before the q., to clarify)--Re. the point you're trying to make, the situation the line presents could be summarized as "child's resemblance reminds one member of estranged relationship of other member." This is surely a potentially "relatable" image, yes? Even if we don't know or care to know the details from 200 yrs ago...

    3. He addresses a mass audience with modesty, but then later brags to a friend to talk himself up.

      everybody does this to SOME extent, right? :-)

    4. I believe

      If you are going to use the "I" (and it's OK!), you should also use formulations like "I will argue / demonstrate / claim"--let the "I" guide your reader through your argument

    5. The shift is astronomical.

      Nice use of a short punchy sentence to vary yr prose style!

    6. She

      Marchand=a guy! (So many students will refer to all academic/scholarly writers as "he", even if they are named "Jane" or something--your mistake is entirely understandable...)

    7. seemingly

      this word implies that you're going to show your readers it's not so simple: "But when we look below the surface..."

    8. transcending

      transcendent = adj form [note the implications of this word, btw--eg, our argument in the "Fare Thee Well" discussion over whether or not "FTW" could be read without context was an argument about its ability to transcend its particular moment in time]

    9. For example, Jay Ward’s interpretation from a Neil Gabler quote brings the idea of “celebrity being the real narrative” rather than achievements in an icon’s work creates

      This is tough to say clearly--you are actually citing the quote itself, rather than Ward's interpretation (the next sentence). So here you could just say "JW cites NG's claim that today, when we consider an icon, their "celebrity...is the real achievement", creating a dynamic [etc] OR you could cite JW's summary, in the next sentence, rephrasing accordingly.

    1. The third and final characteristic that really defines Lord Byron is his stance on politics and society as a whole.

      As a LIST, this breakdown seems arbitrary...rereading your paper, though, it strikes me now that what unifies the Byronic Hero (as you present that figure) is an interest in "infamy", in challenging convention notions of the Good...

    2. Lord Byron once said that he wrote poetry to stay sane; he needed an outlet for his creative and (at the time) foreign ideas, and he found that outlet in his writing.

      A sentence incorporating the idea of the "Byronic Hero" into your thesis would help set that section up by weaving it more fully into yr argument

    3. Daniel-I've uploaded a rubric with my comments on your final essay submission to the shared "feedback" folder...

    4. In conclusion, Byron’s “celebrity” and achievement” should not be considered separately and this distinction should not be made. Lord Byron’s achievement does not stem from his celebrity and his celebrity did not threaten his achievement.

      I feel as if you're missing one final sentence, that wd say something like: "Rather, the two WERE each other!"

    1. The two fed off one another and created Byron’s fame

      achivement + fame = fame? You need one different term here...

    2. Mary Jo-I've uploaded a rubric with my comments on your final essay submission to the shared "feedback" folder...

    3. Though there is a distinction between the types of fame that he gained, one being notorious and the other admiration, the two became an amalgam like Byron, who was mixture of passion and melancholy.

      this is complicated and deserves fuller unpacking! B. is two different analgams? one analgam corresponds to the other? causes the other? [etc...]

    4. melancholia

      You haven't introduced this term yet (you draw it from "Child Harold's "joyless reverie," right?--so it would be clearer to cite that text first...)

    5. over night some would say,

      [cut]

    6. inexplicably

      "inextricably" (it's VERY explicable--you explain it! )

    1. Jenn-I've uploaded a rubric with my comments on your final essay submission to the shared "feedback" folder...

    2. His celebrity status contradicts his poem, A Fragment, where Byron writes, “No lengthened scroll, no praise-encumbered stone;/ My epitaph shall be my name alone” (7-8). Here he is trying to make people think that he is a humble poet who cares little about his fame and legacy. However, Byron actually means that he will be so well known and cherished that people will know his story by his name alone.

      Hah! Nicely done...I wonder: your last sentence could support that "actually" by pointing ahead, to evidence from later in B's career. "As we shall see..."--something like that?

    3. Lord Byron left a legacy far more detailed than a name on his gravestone. His achievement in poetry may not be as notable as others because Byron’s poetry was not written for creative stimulation or personal revelation but rather to keep his audience interested in his life. His name is known today because of his social status, open-mindedness, radicalism, and sexual relations and is only somewhat correlated with his published poetry. Byron was not applauded for his works but rather was peered on by the judgmental public eye as they were captivated by the liberal artist he was. Whether or not Byron associated his fame and his poetry is unknown but today’s audience can deduce that he was aware that personal validation and social influence were the driving forces in Lord Byron’s life. Lord Byron wrote for the public’s interest rather than his own creative expression. He controlled the public’s fascination of him with his radical manner, his defiant acts against the social constricts, sexual activity, involvement in scandals and public affairs. If he kept the audience interested in his behavior then they would read his publications. They would praise him though his work was not genuine and without their knowledge, was purely to string them along. Lord Byron’s celebrity status was the driving force of this eccentric and radical male of the nineteenth century. More concerned with his ego and social standing he used his poetry and celebrity status to support each other and in turn himself.

      These two paragraphs abandon your sources--I recognize that you are summarizing and concluding, but, eg, the biopic/Marchand could still help here...

    4. It is as if he was forcing himself to feel one of these emotions to satisfy the expectations of his writings from society.

      Yes! Or, perhaps (to better fit your overall argument) forcing himself to perform, to act out, one of these emotions?

    5. The publications of this time used language such as this excerpt from Lara, “In vigilance of grief that would compel/ The soul to hate for having loved too well” (Byron 311-312)

      Try to integrate q. into syntax. (This is the end of a VERY long Byronic sentence!) I actually think that earlier lines from this section (17) would work better for you here--eg, 291-294.

    6. The line between public and private matter is often blurred for a celebrity such as Byron

      Can you link this "public vs private" question to your overall focus on sincerity?

    7. His status and poetry are closely linked and without the other half, would not be able to stand-alone. Therefore, It is important to understand that Lord Byron’s poetry was not as genuine as it may seem, for it is clear he was only writing to maintain his celebrity status.

      This is ALMOST a successful thesis; you ask "therefore" & "it is clear" to do too much work. (If status and poetry each depend on each other, that fact could equally be used to argue that "he was only partying to generate material for his poetry."). The relationship between the two claims in your final sentence needs to be clarified...

    1. Racheal--I've uploaded a rubric with my comments on your final essay submission to the shared "feedback" folder...

    2. f the social impact r

      A source here would help you... One good example might be the way the cartoon responds to Lord B's poem--a very cynical response!

    3. In Fair Thee Well, Byron writes about his separation from his wife in a very distinct way

      This is an intriguing first sentence--but you don't quite follow up on it. (Do you mean the actual type of poem / style of language is distinctiive; or that putting this material in poetic form is distinctive?)

    4. I find that after reading the article written from a more factual side, it is easy to see why

      Careful--it's natural to fall into this mode, but you are not describing your reading process; you are trying to persuade your readers about Byron. So, then, tell the reader about this intertwining, and cite evidence from the article.

    5. Something that has always been around is the way media puts a spin on stories to enhance them

      Hmmm--well, what about "As long as we've had a media, we've had spin"? ' But better would be a more specific sentence: because your paragraph is not about a universal truth: it's about how the media 200 yrs ago "spun" Byron's reputation, right?

    1. Again Marchand articulates this well, “His chameleon-like character was engendered not by hypocrisy but by sympathy and adaptability, for the side he showed was a real if only partial revelation of his true self. And this mobility of character permitted him to savour and to record the mood and thought of the moment with a sensitivity denied to those tied to the conventions of consistency.” (Britannica, pg 4, paragraph 5)

      Here you miss the opportunity to link this description to specifics of the writing (eg, by anticipating "Fare Thee Well"?

    2. It seems many of Byron’s greatest achievements were a direct result of his life experiences and personal views, and while he fled his celebrity, he never abandoned his efforts in writing.

      A good distinction! So for Byron the PERSONAL is crucial, even if he does not always want that PERSON to be a celebrity?

    3. Byron then echoes this sentiment in the poem itself in lines 267 through 270: “And scorned the best as hypocrites, who hid Those deeds the bolder spirit plainly did. He knew himself detested, but he knew The hearts that loathed him, crouched and dreaded too.”

      Here you can edit your quotation for clarity:<br> "through 270, telling us that Conrad

      ...scorned the best as hypocrites, who hid [etc]

    4. these two

      careful--here you need to edit citation/revise yr own prose so reader knows who both are...

    5. To make a distinction between Byron’s celebrity and achievement, which I think Byron would have argued for, is seemingly impossible based on the image of himself that became so intertwined among his poetry and life due to his ability to write so passionately based on personal experiences and his experiences that became such public knowledge.

      Nice attempt at thesis statement complexity!

      You could clarify sentence structure by making the verb "write" more prominent: eg, "his passionate writing....and the public's passion for knowledge of his experiences....together created an intertwined image.."

    6. And those to whom he spake remembered well, And on the words, however light, would dwell.”

      Your quoting it this way makes me see how distinctively a part of modern celebrity culture this description seems. (Think of people's stories of basically meaningless encounters that are important ONLY because they involved celebrity--"however light")

    1. Adam--

      See the rubric I've uploaded to your "Feedback" folder for your grade breakdown!

    2. “Though my many faults defaced me, Could no other arm be found”(Farwell Thee). He says his faults defaced him because they turned him from a writer to a celebrity.

      OK, good! (Though 2nd line you quote seems not to say what you want it to...) You can weave poetry into your own syntax: try something like: "Lord B admits that "his many faults defaced him" (line # here), going on to blame these faults for his transformation from writer to celebrity (another citation here).

    3. Although similar in writing style and tone to most of Lord Byron’s Works, “A Fragment” indicates the desire to be remembered and honored positively, something not typically found in Byronic writings or lifestyles

      This doesn't sound like the first sentence of an essay. Notice how you refer to "A Fragment" repeatedly without ever quoting it for your reader--beginning with a brief quotation would have helped ground your reader

    4. “Farewell Thee,”

      "Fare Thee Well": a small mistake, but an important one in terms of authorial credibility

    5. because his achievement was so high, he gained fame quickly.

      Here is a claim that lacks evidence (you COULD argue that "Childe Harold" was so beautiful, etc, that it quickly led to fame--but you don't, in this parag)

    6. After looking at Lord Byron’s life in depth, I recognized how his writings reflect his lifestyle at any given point of his life.

      see my comment on your draft: this is "writing process" talk; it doesn't belong in the essay...

    7. Prior to going on a two-year exposition in the Middle East (Turkey and neighboring places), Lord Byron has extensive history, which is very important to recognize when analyzing his conversion from poet to celebrity. First, he was named lord at a very young age, 14. We see in a lot of modern celebrities that fame from a young age can be dangerous to a person’s lifestyle. This is important to realize that he was forced to mature quicker than most, so this could be a huge aspect in his eventual downfall. “A Fragment”, was one of his first pieces of work to be recognized. This was around the age of 18, a couple years before his adventure abroad. It is also important to know that he was a writer prior to his adventure. However even though he had a name for himself, he had an even mind and was far more balanced as a writer and celebrity figure. He went on this trip abroad to both get a way and find inspiration for writing. When he returns home, the culture shock could also play an aspect in his life choices. He looked at his people a different way because of his experiences and they looked at him differently. He had fallen out of the loop for a while, and this could be part of why he attached to the celebrity life so hard.

      You need to cite sources in this paragraph!

    8. both

      "either"? Remember, the prompt offers a definition of celebrity: a person whose fame is more important than whatever achievement led to that fame

    9. Originally he was focused on the writing but he eventually turned to the celebrity aspect.

      If this is your claim, it should end the paragraph (coming after the two sentences that follow)...

    10. it is very possible to be a writer and not a celebrity

      to be a FAMOUS writer, and not a celebrity

    11. P2R First Draft

      oops....gotta edit up here too :-)

    1. It seems useful, then, to examine the issues raised in the letters in the light of the 'star' theory which emerged as a subsection of film theory in the late 1970s.

      Here's a sentence that introduces "method" or "tools": it tells us that "star theory" will characterize the author's approach; typically a "theory paragraph" (or more) will follow a paragraph that ends in this fashion...

    1. especially those suffering from illiteracy.

      B. was famous even to those who could not read...of course, that leads to an interesting question: wasn't the figure they knew still a figure created by B's writings?

    2. the word “fame”

      yes! & remember that there are other words that capture aspects of fame: celebrity, in the prompt; we also talked about reputation; and you may find others in the poetry

    3. and, suiting enough, “liberal whiggism”.

      I'd cut

    4. townsmen

      "aristocrats"? or you could say "countrymen," since he became a national phenom....

    5. Byron achieved an actual amount of respect from other ‘famous writers’ for being phenomenal in his works and creating true spoken verses, however it is important to separate his celebrity image when discussing Byron’s reputation. Unfortunately for Lord Byron, his name transcends any of his actions or even his writings, as with every celebrity (especially today), those looking into the glass house jump to conclusions quickly and are even quicker to share their findings about the person they believe the celebrity to truly be.

      (& also unfortunately for the public, right? if they/we miss the deeper values of Lord B's work..,)

    6. Brandon— 1) Your thesis has a two-part structure (I’ve marked it): key for your revisions will be showing the VALUE of Byron’s verses; finding examples from the poetry where we see Byron’s virtues, or where we see something else of value, that we miss if we simply consider his celebrity self (we talked about the later parts of “Childe Harold” as one good place to look…) 2) Your paragraph on “A Fragment” is your most substantial ACE paragraph; can you introduce it with stronger, more specific language than “showed much about?” Your second paragraph could be linked more clearly to your argument: what is it about the particular story you tell in that paragraph that EXPLAINS something (in this case, presumably it explains something about Byron’s particular attitude toward celebrity/fame). 3) So far, so good….It’s not clear where you are going to go from the travel/chivalry paragraph, but we talked about this in context. 4) You are citing and analyzing effectively; fuller attention to the “mature” poetry (meaning in this case anything after Hours Of Idleness, as we discussed, is the evidence you need to bring to best support your overall thesis…)

    1. the revision

      here my 3rd version builds on my 2nd version

    2. Older

      and here

    3. Newer

      so I can annotate here

    4. in a WordPress course site

      I like this version--it flows better

    5. annotations

      and with "History" view you can have DIFFERENT annotations in old and new versions!!!

    6. annotations

      duuuuude!

    1. Although similar in writing style and tone to most of Lord Byron’s Works, “A Fragment” indicates the desire to be remembered and honored positively, something not typically found in Byronic writings or lifestyles. Lord Byron, at the beginning of his career as a poet, lived a life much more in line with how he states he wants to be remembered in “ A Fragment.” This is important to recognize because of his transition from poet to celebrity. Byron continued to write, but it was no longer about the writing as much as the fame. It is interesting to note this in relation to his early writing of “A Fragment”, compared to his later writings. A Fragment, is much more humble and honorable. After looking at Lord Byron’s life in depth, I recognized how his writings reflect his lifestyle at any given point of his life. As his poems became more famous, and his “celebrity” grew, he lost focus on his original intentions, and got caught up in the fame, similar to many of the celebrities of today’s day and age. Byron’s achievement was the stepping-stone to his celebrity, but eventually he lost touch with his achievement and lived a life aimed almost exclusively at fame.

      This introductory paragraph should be condensed--if you postpone your discussion of "A Fragment" to its own paragraph, then you can use this intro (keeping the last two sentences) to introduce the two different kinds of attention desired by famous poets and celebrities (see my final note for more re. this)

  2. May 2016
    1. After looking at Lord Byron’s life in depth, I recognized

      this is "writing process talk"--it describes your research, but shouldn't actually be written down in the essay...

    2. friend, Mary, published

      John Murray (sounds like "Mary" in English accent?)--Marchand's Britannica entry will clarify here--it's at Murray's that he meets (in biopic) the other writers one of whom tells him he's "found his voice"

    3. Adam— 1) Your intro paragraph is full of claims about Byron; they’re somewhat repetitive right now. (It looks like a bunch of different, independent statements: there aren’t clear relationships between the claims that would link them together into a larger, more complex claim,) I think that de-emphasizing the PROCESS (since you don’t have enough sources to fully describe it) and emphasizing the different KINDS of desire for audience Byron had would help you make an argument that your sources can better support.<br> 2) Look at my handout again re the ACE structure. Your paragraph beginning “There is a point…when B is focused on both poetry and fame” is potentially the most important paragraph in your essay: but right now, it lacks specific evidence. How does this combined focus affect his writing? Can you support this claim with poetry that is “about” fame? 3) We talked about your adding a paragraph (after your introduction) that defined the difference between celebrity and famous poet (both “want attention”, right? but that want has a different form for each). (This would help you in setting up the ACE paragraph that I mention in 2) 4) The movie is a good source for Byron’s “performing” as a celebrity, but you should supplement it with the Britannica entry as well (this will help you keep your narrative straight). In general, you need to cite sources more fully in this draft.

    1. reek of tasteful

      do you mean "distasteful"...here the idea of hypocrisy might be useful again: eg, if the public enjoys entertainment that challenges the social values we publicly support but secretly disdain

    2. as early 19th century English men were known for modesty and

      see final comment

    3. . Early 1800’s England, Byron’s “public”, focused moral principles heavily on values derived from the church, viewed sex as something more than just an activity, and placed a high regard on the process of marriage and the lifelong commitment carried with it.

      see final comment

    4. Although some might attribute his “celebrity” towards his poetic “achievement”, specifically through “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”, these two aspects of Lord Byron’s life can be considered separate, and rather, should be considered distinct, as not to diminish Lord Byron’s nature and it’s large contribution towards his popularity at the time.

      one more sentence would sharpen this thesis--see my final comment...

    5. Bobby—

      1) Your thesis statement can be given more complexity: AFTER making the distinction, what do we gain by looking at moments when the celebrity seems to affect the poetry itself? (And you can also think about “motive” in your first paragraph: what does Lord Byron “tell us” about celebrity? does he predict 21st century celebrity? a sentence or two making the connection would be effective in an intro/conclusion…) 2) You are using evidence and analysis in your paragraphs effectively!<br> 3) Organizing paragraphs by topics rather than texts is an effective strategy! Revising the celebrity-definition paragraph so that your answer to the question is fuller, and considers the difference between “celebrity in general” and “famous author,” will help you in signalling your organization. We talked about adding a paragraph that looked at the later parts of “Childe Harold”—you wouldn’t have to organize the paragraph around that text, though: you could organize it around looking at places where Byron’s knowledge of his own fame seeps into his poetry… 4) In conference I mentioned your overall picture of 19th century English cultural norms: not wrong, but insufficiently aware of the hypocrisy of the upper classes (the first full paragraph on p. 3 of Marchand’s biographical entry, introducing Don Juan, gives you an example of the Byronic stance towards society I talked about…also, go back to your “Greeks” quotation and note the contrast with the English that Marchand makes—bringing that in would strengthen your definition of English morality.)

    1. Catherine— 1) The two sentences of your thesis, right now, don’t have a clear connection. In revision, you need to make the relationship between those two claims visible for your reader. When you do this, it will give you a clearer framework to reorganize your body paragraphs. 2) Right now, your second-last paragraph uses the ACE structure most effectively. (I would cut one sentence from it: see my annotations.) Your earlier paragraphs are organized by narrative structure instead (look at the first sentence of each: when revising, that’s an easy “tell” to see if you’re slipping into “telling a story.” The first sentence of an argumentative paragraph should tell the reader what this paragraph is doing as a part of your argument. (Imagine “I am arguing that…” added to the beginning of each sentence—if it makes sense, that’s a sign you’re on the right track!) 3) I think ONE paragraph narrating B’s rise to fame makes sense for your essay (you should combine your second and 3rd, and delete the short “Don Juan” paragraph. This will give you more space to turn to “Childe Harold”: Marchand’s description, which you cite, gives you the opportunity to then turn to the poem(s) and show how they fit that description. 4) You integrate citations into your own prose effectively. One exception: you use the form “As Xed by Y” too often. The problem with this formula is not stylistic: it’s a sign of a limited attitude towards your sources. When you write “As Xed by Y”, You are agreeing with a source, rather than building on it with anything of your own. Now, when introducing FACTS, the formula works fine; but in argumentative writing, you should be looking to debate with and think with your sources. And this takes practice! We’ll be working on it throughout the course…

    2. Byron seems more interested in using poetry as a means to document and reflect on its happenings both in the past and looking forward towards the future. An example of this is present in a quote by Byron stating, “Think’st thou existence doth depend on time? It doth; but actions are our epochs” (Marchand 5). He used his poetry to reflect on the future and what comes after death as a way to personally contemplate life and the legacy he will leave behind.

      here you frame your quotation with two sentences that seem to say the same thing--this makes the reader wonder why you aren't explaining/analyzing (eg, I want to know, what does it mean/suggest to think of time as measured in actions? does this perspective fit with the kind of man who are arguing that B is?)

    3. When Byron choose to live in a state of happiness his poems change from this format and become more comical in nature.

      I'd cut: this digresses by returning to narrative

    4. . Lord Byron would consider his fame a direct result of his achievements in poetry but not something he ambitiously strived for. Byron’s celebrity and achievements should be considered together when analyzing his rise to fame.

      There are a number of possible relationships between these two claims: to complicate and clarify your thesis, think about these questions: how is your perspective (sentence 2) different from the perspective you think Byron would have (sentence 1), and why does that difference matter?

    1. that is so intertwined

      This is a key part of your essay; a more careful statement is desirable. "that is so intertwined": can you use language that explains the CAUSE(S) of this intertwining more clearly?

    2. But they who saw him did not see in vain, And once beheld, would ask of him again; And those to whom he spake remembered well, And on the words, however light, would dwell.

      these 4 lines are the key ones for you, I think...

    3. Megan— 1) Well stated thesis (your parenthetical “I think” is something you should return to in the essay, or cut for clarity (but I’m not asking you to cut it! it might work well in your conclusion) 2) Your paragraphs are very effectively constructed! We talked about adding evidence from “Fare The Well” to your final paragraph, thus making it into what I will call an ACE synthesis (multiple sources) paragraph: you will be USING those Marchand citations as tools to help you analyze “Fare Thee Well.” 3) Following from 2) new concluding paragraph, in which you speculate about how B. himself might have felt re. distinguishing celebrity and achievement, seems like a good idea. (I wonder: could you perhaps go all the way back to “A Fragment” re. that distinction?) 4) The lines that you associate with Mary Chatworth might, of course, also be associated with Augusta (“could n’er be his”!). At the top of p. 3 (sorry for missing this point in conference!) you misread some VERY fancy dedicatory prose from Byron: he is referring to his friend Moore as “the man”, in order to imply something like: “If I wanted to persuade my readers I was not as bad a man as the characters in my works, the best evidence would be that you willing to be my friend.” So you may want to quote differently….(Notice how sneaky B. is being here: he is talking to Moore, in a dedication, and implying his readers aren't listening--except they are listening, if they choose to read the dedication--and Byron knows they are listening...)

    1. Daniel—

      1) You have a strong thesis; it’s almost overstated! Byron was never two-faced; he cared not for fame or the public, but only for expressing the emotions that haunted him. The “Fare Thee Well” episode, as we discussed, is the most significant problem for your thesis. But you could still respond to it! (Perhaps that poem in a way SHOULD have cared more for other people; perhaps to criticize it would be to call it the wrong sort of thing to send to your soon-to-be-ex wife?) 2 You lose track of the ACE structure in your long “Byronic Hero” paragraph. Here, I think, your analysis of “To Marion” could be expanded upon (and supplemented with a brief discussion of “A Fragment”?). In that paragraph, you say B. is “cynical”, but also that he “craves affection”—so, then, he cares for something? Further development here would be helpful. (I also think the last section of this paragraph, re. “politics and society as a whole” doesn’t fit where you have it now. (Unless you can link it to cynicism—is his criticism cynical, or is it sincere?) 3) The essay reads well; I will suggest that your overall argument might work better if you switch your 2nd and 3rd paragraph: make your claim about madness stand out! 4) You are using sources effectively! (You should cite somebody—Cochrane? me? Marchand?—re. the Byronic Hero…)

    1. Joseph—

      1) You’ve got a promising thesis that needs clarification. You need to tell your reader what you believe about what Byron believes, and why that matters. (Right now, your “I believe” sentence goes off track halfway through…) 2) You do a nice job of finding specific textual evidence in the “Hours of Idleness” paragraph; the Marchand paragraph is also effectively chosen, but there your STYLE of citation needs to be revised: quote more selectively, focusing on the particular adjectives/descriptive phrases that you can then connect to your own analysis of “Hours.” The paragraph where you cite Wolfson re. the marriage crisis is a paragraph that doesn’t discuss the poem. That COULD work—if your point is that the poem doesn’t matter! But you need to make sure you aren’t just forgetting about the poem—and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to get Byron’s voice into the essay at this point if it will help you make your argument. (Maybe you could even talk about the way the cartoon “uses” the poem—the cartoon is a kind of interpretation, right?) 3) Unfortunately I can’t say too much here since you are half finished. I think your last full paragraph (beginning "But it didn't stop..." might be problematic: your essay isn't really a narrative of Byron's life (remember, you begin with the moment of achieving fame--from there, you can look at moments in whatever order you choose...) 4) You are using sources effectively—remember, in an essay that argues Byron understands the necessity of working on/with his own reputation, Byron’s own poetical words are ALSO a valuable source. (Even an early poem like “Fragment” or “To Marion” (from “Hours” might prove useful—especially since you’ve discussed his rhetoric in the preface to that book…)

    1. Jenn--Here are my overall comments for revision:

      1) See my annotations re your thesis 2) Right now, your body paragraphs 2& 3 are driven by narrative (notice their opening sentences). And you don’t have any paragraphs that are devoted to analysis of a single text/episode. What if you told the whole story (birth to leaving England) in a single paragraph? Then you could write a paragraph analyzing Childe H/the Fare The Well episode, where you showed your reader through analysis how Byron’s poetry was not “genuine.” Quoting from Byron, putting his voice on the page, will help create that sense—and you need to put that voice on the page, so that your reader can judge your criticism of it! 3) My comments above apply here 4) You use the term “liberal” in your intro in a 21st century American way: it’s not wrong, but it’s imprecise. (B. was called by some a political liberal, but the word didn’t mean then what it does now.) Byron was privileged; he was also a critic of the privileged class (not having been raised to it). You might say he was “unconventional” or “radical”—he refused to play by the rules of the nobility…Also, I think you should slightly revise your conclusions, since your sources don’t take you to the end of Byron’s life: really, your argument only covers the Byron of England. The movie, remember, seems to suggest that Byron matured as a writer after his self-exile—but since you say very little about this era, due to the sources you have, it might be clearer to leave it out altogther.

    2. His legacy is left in his social status, political liberalism, Whiggism, sexual relations, financial doings and travels abroad.

      source for this claim? (Marchand)--this seems like too sweeping a judgment for you to make on your own...

    3. It is clear here that Byron doe not plan to make this career and has doubts about his success in the public eye as well as embarrassment of his youthful age of nineteen.

      But what about the possibility that Byron was even then not "genuine"?

    4. Fame is a part of every society in every era.

      This is what I call "throat-clearing": too general to be of use. Notice what Gabler says in the prompt about "our time"-Ward is asking "do we today make a mistake in treating Byron like a celebrity from 'our time'"? So you could begin by mentioning Byron's career happening 200 yrs ago, and then saying something about similarities/differences, something that sets up your thesis....

    5. It is important to understand that Lord Byron’s writings were not as genuine as they might seem when reading his poetry. His status and poetry are closely linked and without the other half, would not be able to stand-alone.

      These two sentences are your strongest, most arguable claim=thesis claim!

    1. Mary Jo—Here are my overall comments:

      1) You need to add another sentence to your intro, telling your reader what argument you’re going to unfold. (Right now, the reader is going to answer that question “Of course not!”—but you are actually going to say something more complex—so signal that complexity for them…) 2) You are writing with evidence, but not yet with evidence from the poetry (with one exception, which we talked about in conference—and I think you should quote from CHP in that paragraph!) Your “How could they?” paragraph is a key paragraph, but right now it depends entirely on evidence cited elsewhere in the paper: and this means that all the required evidence needs to appear beforehand. Again, right now, the appealing character/voice of the poems isn’t yet present in this draft… 3) Your structure is effective. One concern: to make a claim about “a complex rise and fall”, as you do in your final paragraph, implies more of a narrative than you’re actually writing (eg, you don’t discuss the “Fare Thee Well!” affair at any length). I think that you don’t need the “often described as an overnight sensation” hook that you use to link intro and conclusion: notice how your strongest argumentative paragraph, the penultimate one, doesn’t depend on his being an “overnight sensation” or not one at all… 4) More specific citations would be helpful! (For the biopic, describe the scene & give running time; for the poetry, quote—etc….

    2. It sold well because he wrote about real places. He inserted a character, while not being him, that embodied Byron’s wishes, hopes, and even problems for and with his life.

      you should merge these two sentences: there's a relation between the ideas...

    3. his standing as a celebrity

      not quite right: your overall argument is not about the cause of this "standing"...

    1. Hannah--Here are my overall revision comments:

      1) We talked about sharpening your thesis claim: your reader needs to know where YOU stand in relation to the “problem” Ward identifies in the passage you quote. What you are saying is that there are not 2 important things to consider (celebrity vs poetical achievement) but 3 (human reputation, poetical reputation, and poetical achievement). (We called this a “triangle” in conference!) So, you have potentially a really strong thesis: you have a citation from Ward, and then you come on stage yourself to say “but wait! it’s more complicated than that!” This is also a good thesis because you are using Ward to open up a debate which will give you motive: you can link your argument to people who are interested in the lives of celebrity artists—you can say that we are not JUST interested in those lives because gossip. 2) When citing, remember you can paraphrase/summary. It’s FASTER to quote big chunks (and we all do it for this reason sometimes)—but the more you preserve your own voice, and only integrate the voices of others when their language is especially good/interesting, the more authority you build up as a writer. When you quote (especially poetry/fiction) your reader will expect careful examination of what you quote. 3) The way you turn late in your essay to B’s earliest work “A Fragment” is effective! Can you get your own perspective, maybe with the word “irony”, earlier in that paragraph? 4) Remember, less space on quotation give you more space to interpret/analyze your citations!

    2. He pulls the heartstrings of the public
    3. showed the emotions depicted

      "Showed" and "depicted" are very close--cut one? And also, perhaps you want a different verb, since these both imply truth, whereas your "heartstrings" line suggests duplicity or acting...

    4. In the Britannica Online Encyclopedia section on Byron it transcribes

      this is what I call an IN-troduction; it's faster and clearer to write "The Britannica transcribes" or "Marchand transcribes" (you can put Britannica in parentheses at the end of the sentence if necessary)

    5. poetry, achievements, and celebrity

      these are not quite right yet--see my final comment

    6. ink

      "sink"

    1. Rachel—

      Here are my overall comments, based on the breakdown in the generic comment at the bottom of the page:

      1) If you weave the thinking from your 2nd paragraph into your intro paragraph, this will clarify your thesis. Don’t end the first paragraph with Ward—end it with YOUR take!—Ward is there to help set up your own take. You say, in that 2nd paragraph, that being a noble didn’t give Byron an edge in poetry (& it DID give him an edge in other areas of life)—& this might have made him tenacious, wanting to succeed—which led to his success as a poet—which led to him achieving far more celebrity than the typical nobleman. So, it’s complex! as you say in your conclusion. I think both “enhanced” and “overshadowed” are not yet the right words for you to capture that complexity (“overshadowed” works to summarize Ward’s perspective; “enhanced” is PART of what you want to say yourself, but not all of it.) 2) I think you need a single ACE paragraph about the media: it could have multiple citations, from both Marchand and the movie—see #3 for details. 3) The “Fare Thee Well” paragraph needs to be rewritten. I also think that the two paragraphs that use biopic and Britannica should be combined into a single longer paragraph. Here’s why: the POINT of your essay isn’t about those sources for their own sake—for you they are both sources that give you perspectives on Byron’s relation to the public/media. (Your first sentence of parag 3 is effective!) So rather than going on to talk about the difference between film and article, use them both as sources to discuss Byron’s reputation. And this will naturally lead into “Fare Thee Well”—a poem that appeared in 4 different versions in 1816 (pretty fast media transmission!) 4) Don’t be afraid to quote B’s poetry! “Fare thee Well”, when you write about the controversy; “A Fragment” could fit well in your second paragraph.

    2. In terms of whether or not we as the readers of Byron’s work have the right to correlate Byron’s celebrity status with his achievements, is something that I think is essential to understand Lord Byron in his entirety.

      "In terms of...is something": this is not a sentence yet. Do you mean that we need to correlate the two to understand B whether we have the right or not?--or that we need to correlate the two if we want to understand the WHOLE of Byron?

    3. After reading the Britannica biographical entry by Marchand, I had a difficult time seeing a difference in information that was listed in the article and the information portrayed in the BBC film

      remember, you aren't writing the comparison here: your essay has a different purpose

    4. In terms of the modern world, Byron would be considered a celebrity based off the fact that he was an esteemed poet. However, in Byron’s case, I find that his poetry is one of the few things that enhance his celebrity status

      Well--not all poets are celebrities (Kanye; T-Swift; Drake)..."Enhanced" feels not quite right--"increased"?. I'm not quite sure of the relation btw your two sentences here--is "Byron's case" DIFFERENT from "the modern world" or one EXAMPLE of that world.?

    5. his celebrity status enhanced his writing, sometimes maybe even overshadows it.

      to Ward the danger is in "overshadowing"

    1. mist, descend the mountain’s

      is this a Led Zeppelin reference??? DUDE

    1. clay

      this is the Bible, right?

    2. praise-encumbered

      so praise is a burden--yet he goes on to say he wants "honor" as a consequence of his "deeds"--ambivalent much??

    3. A FRAGMENT

      This is weird, though--if we found the poem scrawled on this gravestone or whatever it wouldn't have this title, right? idgi

    4. fathers’

      does he have one father? or more than one? I suck at parentheses LOL

    1. Now I've installed the "PDF Embedder" plugin....but PDF text is still not clickable on the page

    2. I get the note bar here, but not when I use the pdf...