Byronic heroes in Harry Potter?

[sweettalkeress.livejournal.com]

So, I've been poking around various websites and the like to gather characteristics of Byronic heroes, in the hopes of maybe writing a few into some of my own stories. One thing that several sites said which was kind of interesting was that Snape was a Byronic hero. I wasn't quite sure what to make of this; on the one hand, it does seem like he has many traits in common with the archetype, but on the other, it isn't clear to me if simply having the traits makes him a Byronic hero or if there'd need to be something more subtle involved.

So what are your thoughts on that? Could Snape qualify as a Byronic hero? Could anyone else in the series?

For futher reading, you can find the Wikipedia page on Byronic heroes here. My home dictionary, for the record, defines a Byronic hero as "a lonely, handsome, melancholy, flawed man, fatally attractive to women, as popularized by Lord Byron."

Comments

[hwyla.livejournal.com]

I totally disagree with the idea of Sirius as Byronic Hero. Snape fits the bill perfectly. I do not see Heathcliff as one either.

Note - from handy Wikipedia - the Byronic Characteristics:

The Byronic hero typically exhibits several of the following traits:[10]
Arrogant
Cunning and able to adapt
Cynical
Disrespectful of rank and privilege
Emotionally conflicted, bipolar, or moody
Having a distaste for social institutions and norms
Having a troubled past or suffering from an unnamed crime
Intelligent and perceptive
Jaded, world-weary
Mysterious, magnetic and charismatic
Rebellious
Seductive and sexually attractive
Self-critical and introspective
Self-destructive
Socially and sexually dominant
Sophisticated and educated
Struggling with integrity
Treated as an exile, outcast, or outlaw

One of the main qualities required for a Byronic Hero is a 'tragic' or 'mysterious' past and usually a LOT of regret. Appearance is not important, tho' he can be 'attractive' by sheer force of personality. Regret (and preferably redemption) is often also of great importance. And since we never get the feeling that Sirius EVER regrets anything he ever did, I cannot see him as one.

Sirius is (for me) much more 'Tragic Hero', even tho' he does share some of the byronic characteristics. He is considered a like-able person (even tho' I cannot stand him) and considered 'heroic' whose downfall is caused by their 'tragic flaw'. Note that Byronic Heros need not even BE heroic, even tho' I believe Snape was. Hero in this case means more like one of the 'main characters'