ABSTRACT
This chapter follows Byron’s construction of his artistic persona from his first appearance in the literary scene. It identifies the most prominent strategies the poet uses and their development through his interaction with critics and audience. The approach in this chapter is based on discourse analysis theory and the notions of authorial ethos, scenography, and posture, as presented by Dominique Maingueneau, Ruth Amossy, and Jérôme Meizoz, that is as a dynamic exchange process where the author positions himself in connection with social groups, seeking to assert the legitimation of his voice in a constant dialogical negotiation of his identity. Presenting himself as a unique example and a misfit, Byron makes wide use of the strategy of paratopy. Occupying a marginal vantage point, he moves in a non-actualised space from where he actualises his marginal identity. The chapter demonstrates the way Byron moves freely between the discursive spaces of his social self and his authorial ethos, highlighting their intersection, which is at the heart of his celebrity.
