Byron is portrayed as a brave warrior in China, blending with the political discourse of national salvation and becoming a cultural symbol. The domestic academic community mainly studies the Sinicization of Byron's image and its dissemination and acceptance in China. In the works of British Romantic poets, there are two extremes of negativity and positivity, and the negativity in Byron's poetry is manifested as a decadent tendency. Western scholars such as Butler and McLean analyze the reasons for the negative decadence of British Romantic poets from a political perspective. The Industrial Revolution led to environmental destruction and the spread of diseases, and the British Romantics focused on the body and life sciences. Byron's experience of fever deeply influenced his ideological shaping and poetry creation, and his physical condition, living environment, and life sciences are dimensions that cannot be ignored in considering his decadence.

Malaria and the poet's fever

Explored the chronic fever of the British Romantic poet Byron and its impact on his poetry creation. Byron was plagued by illnesses throughout his life, especially periodic fever, and eventually passed away due to fever. The medical community's exploration of Byron's cause of death suggests that he may have died from malaria, a viewpoint proposed by Chismis et al. in 2015. Malaria, as an ancient infectious disease, is closely related to the progress of human civilization. In the Romantic era of Britain, people had limited understanding of fever, and treatment methods included taking quinine and bloodletting therapy. The industrial revolution led to the acceleration of urbanization and population mobility, the outbreak of infectious diseases, and fever became a lingering shadow of the British people. The occurrence of diseases is influenced by the development of human civilization, and may also have a reverse impact on culture and aesthetics. Byron's fever deeply affected his physical and mental temperament, and he participated in his poetry creation. Fever is not only an important factor in Byron's negative and decadent side, but also an important component of his decadent connotation.

Physical anxiety and loneliness/world weariness

Explored the loneliness and disillusionment emotions in Byron's poetry and their association with bodily anxiety and fever metaphors. In Byron's works, especially "Childe Harold's Travels" and "Manfred," there is a strong sense of pessimism and disillusionment, which is closely related to his personal political frustration and emotional difficulties. Nietzsche believed that illness was a catalyst for philosophical thought, and in Byron's poetry, the metaphors of bodily anxiety and fever became important means of expressing feelings of loneliness and disillusionment. In Journey, Byron uses the image of Harold to transform his personal experience of fever into a profound reflection on his shattered ideals. The poem 'Darkness' depicts the emotions of loneliness and fear through the scenes of the apocalypse, echoing the fear of malaria and infectious diseases at that time. In Byron's poetry, fever is not only a physical pain, but also a embodied exploration of death. This bodily anxiety and miasma imagination drive the poetry to depict the occurrence of loneliness and world weariness through apocalyptic scenes.

The impulse of life and the rebellion of carnal desire

The decadence in Byron's poetry is not only manifested in loneliness and disgust towards the world, but also in the active and passionate depiction of carnal desires. The fever deepened Byron's loneliness and melancholy, but he attempted to use carnal desire to write against the transience and limitations of the body, showing a decadent attitude of indulgence in carnal desire and cynicism. The decadent aspect of the decadent faction lies in their crazy and pathological provocative posture, with physical expression of desire being an element. Platts defined the final stage of the development of Romanticism as decadence, and believed that "sensuality of desire" was a typical characteristic of Romanticism. MacGan also believes that "eroticism" is a prominent feature of the younger generation's romantic works. The sensualism of Romanticism and Decadence is not exactly the same. Romanticism portrays the impulse of life with more Greek style indulgence in sensuality, affirming physical desires. Sontag mentioned in "Metaphors of Disease" that tuberculosis has rich metaphors, which bring about mental paralysis and the filling of noble emotions. It is not only a way to depict sensory enjoyment and promote desire, but also a way to depict repression and promote sublimation. Byron bluntly stated in his letter that the fever caused by malaria triggers miasma like depression and also ignites a frenzy of life. Through the practice of the body and metaphors in poetry, the bodily desires primarily expressed through desire become the rebellion of the body. In Tang Huang, the characteristic image of Tang Huang is the free release of carnal desires. Byron affirmed the physical desire, praised the beauty of the release of carnal desire, and bluntly stated that the passion released by carnal desire can dispel "fever". In Byron's bodily consciousness, fever is often associated with inner life impulses. The decadentism in Byron's poetry contains elements of anti modernity, anti grand narrative, and advocates for a return to primitive vitality. It is a polyphony played by the living environment of European society in the late 18th and early 19th centuries on the poet's body and mind.