Magua, the Byronic Hero of The Last of the Mohicans Essay -- Last of t

Magua, the Byronic Hero of The Last of the Mohicans Traditionally, wedge shapees equal the ideal member of society, reflecting the moral compass of a culture. The last prominent heroic tradition in our literature, the Byronic hero, rebels against society, questioning morality (Thorslev 185). The modernistic hero, or anti-hero, internalizes the struggle for reconciliation. Traditional heroes represent brotherly order, Byronic heroes represent social ascension, and modern heroes represent social upheaval. The melancholic, brooding, isolated Byronic hero thrives on rebellion, the traditional hero flourishes on optimistic goodness, and the modern hero grasps for purpose. Samuel Taylor Coleridge criticizes the savage grandeur of the contumacious Byronic hero (400). Magua, of James Fenimore Coopers The Last of the Mohicans, presents fierce rebellion and indeed rises to savage grandeur. The feared and scorned Magua represents an American version of the Byronic hero, seemingly pres enting antithetical qualities of a traditional hero, exemplified in the Anglo-Saxon epic hero, Beowulf. Representing the best their societies hasten to offer, traditional heroes possess characteristics of honor, bravery, loyalty, and steadfastness. They personify communal values and offer a reason to believe in the possibility of a meaningful intent in an ordered, harmonious society. The epic hero journeys on a quest, experiencing difficulties along the way, and triumphantly returns to society. An example of a traditional hero, Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic hero, relies on his courage, intelligence, and superhuman strength as he slays the destructive forces that threatens the community. He accepts and embraces the social values, never questioning or ... ...York Doubleday, 1977. Coleridge. Samuel Taylor. The saysmans Manual. 1816. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. sixth ed. Vol.2. mod York Norton, 1993. 398-400. Cooper, James Fenimore. The Last of the Mohicans. New York Penguin, 1986. Gross, Theodore L. The Heroic Ideal in American Literature. New York Free Press, 1971. Lieber, Todd. Endless Experiments Essays on the Heroic pay back in American Romanticism. Columbus Ohio State UP, 1973. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. 6th ed. Vol.2. New York Norton, 1993. 480. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Ed. Margaret Drabble. 5th ed. Oxford Oxford UP, 1985. Thorslev, Peter L. Jr. The Byronic Hero. Minneapolis U of atomic number 25 P, 1962. Wilson, James D. The Romantic Heroic Ideal. Baton Rouge Louisiana State UP, 1982