There are Romanticists whose basic premise, in effect, is that man possesses
volition in regard to consciousness, but not to existence, i.e., in regard to
his own character and choice of values, but not in regard to the possibility of
achieving his goals in the physical world. The distinguishing characteristics
of such writers are grand-scale themes and characters, no plots and an
overwhelming sense of tragedy, the sense of a “malevolent universe.” The chief
exponents of this category were poets. The leading one is Byron, whose name
has been attached to this particular, “Byronic,” view of existence: its essence
is the belief that man must lead a heroic life and fight for his values even
though he is doomed to defeat by a malevolent fate over which he has no
control.