Don Juan

Book Description
Byron’s exuberant masterpiece tells of the adventures of Don Juan, beginning with his illicit love affair at the age of sixteen in his native Spain and his subsequent exile to Italy. Following a dramatic shipwreck, his exploits take him to Greece, where he is sold as a slave, and to Russia, where he becomes a favorite of the Empress Catherine who sends him on to England. Written in ottava rima stanza form, Byron’s Don Juan blends high drama with earthy humor, outrageous satire of his contemporaries, and sharp mockery of Western societies, with England coming under particular attack.

About the Author
George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824) gained a reputation for his startling good looks and extravagant behavior. With the publication in 1812 of the first two cantos of "Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage" he became instantly famous. His rumored relationship with his half- sister Augustine led him to leave England in 1816. Susan J. Wolfson is professor of English at Princeton University. Peter J. Manning is chair and professor of English at SUNY Stony Brook.


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In this rambling, exuberant, conversational poem, the travels of Don Juan are used as a vehicle for some of the most lively and acute commentaries on human societies and behaviour in the language. The manner is what Goethe called 'a cultured comic language' - a genre which he regarded as not possible in German and which he felt Byron managed superbly. This edition is itself a significant contribution to Byron scholarship. The editors have been able to draw on their authoritative edition of the poem published by the University of Texas Press. The extensive annotation covers points of difficulty, selected variant readings and a mass of information on the historical allusions which Byron wove into the poem.


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