The romantic hero plays several roles. He is a poet-prophet, man of sensibility, psychopath, solitary, wanderer, criminal, rebel, seeker, prototype of the Messiah. He is the fatal man, the pale genius, the ostracized magus, the victim of fate... He is convinced that there has never been another like him and he feels superior because he is in fact exceptional. He is always a titan because his happiness and sorrow always exceed the emotional capacity of an ordinary man.

GEORGE ROSS RIDGE