Exploding Magazines: Byron's The Siege of Corinth, Francesco Morosini and the Destruction of the Parthenon

Abstract

This paper links several threads connected to Byron"s least regarded Turkish Tale. Why, when the English Parliament decided in June 1816 to purchase the Elgin Marbles for the British Museum, did Byron appear to be silent on a subject that he had expressed strong feelings about some years earlier? Why, when he attacked Lord Elgin on the Parthenon marbles, did he not link him in infamy with Francesco Morosini, who had fired the shot that blew up the Parthenon? And why, in The Siege of Corinth, did Byron intentionally depart from the account in his historical source?My paper argues that The Siege of Corinth, one of his Turkish Tales that includes a conflict between Venetians and Turks, a siege, and an explosion, contains within it Byron"s reflections on these issues The Siege of Corinth, in short, has more layers than have previously been explored.