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jelena_52's review
4.0
'You take things coolly, sir,' said Juan. 'Why,'
Replied the other, 'what can a man do?
There still are many rainbows in your sky,
But mine have vanished. All, when life is new,
Commence with feelings warm and prospects high;
But time strips our illusions of their hue,
And one by one in turn, some grand mistake
Casts off its bright skin yearly like the snake.
' 'Tis true, it gets another bright and fresh,
Or fresher, brighter; but the year gone through,
This skin must go the way too of all flesh,
Or sometimes only wear a week or two; -
Love's the first net which spreads its deadly mesh;
Ambition, Avarice, Vengeance, Glory, glue
The glittering lime-twigs of our latter days,
Where still we flutter on for pence or praise.'
§ Don Juan, Canto V
Replied the other, 'what can a man do?
There still are many rainbows in your sky,
But mine have vanished. All, when life is new,
Commence with feelings warm and prospects high;
But time strips our illusions of their hue,
And one by one in turn, some grand mistake
Casts off its bright skin yearly like the snake.
' 'Tis true, it gets another bright and fresh,
Or fresher, brighter; but the year gone through,
This skin must go the way too of all flesh,
Or sometimes only wear a week or two; -
Love's the first net which spreads its deadly mesh;
Ambition, Avarice, Vengeance, Glory, glue
The glittering lime-twigs of our latter days,
Where still we flutter on for pence or praise.'
§ Don Juan, Canto V
robdob's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Funny, yet thought-provoking, epic poem written in ottava rima.
blueyorkie's review
5.0
There are few writers as sulphurous as Lord Byron who manages to remain sympathetic. Bisexual, lover of his half-sister, handsome dark man who led a life of decadence and debauchery; wandering through Europe with its tamed bear, its Venetian gondolier and other baggage. But also rebellious soul, in love with freedom and justice, having defended the English weavers against industrialization, the Armenians against Turkish persecutions, and died flying to the aid of the insurgent Greeks (very symbolic assistance of the rest according to Trelawney)! But above all, he was a vast and formidable poet.
Contrary to what one might think, this long poetic ode of seventeen songs is straightforward to read. In an extravagant and magnificent style of course, but also full of humour! True to his taste for scandal, Byron revisits the highly pure myth of Don Juan to reverse it completely.
Don Juan is no longer the violent and cynical seducer that we meet from Tirso de Molina to Mozart. He is a naive and good-willed adolescent who seduces women in a completely involuntary way! Circumstances snatch him from one, and already the next takes him; my faith he lets himself go. There is probably an autobiographical side to it; despite his clubfoot, Byron was renowned for his beauty. His fame and the identification of the writer and his heroes only increased his prestige, and even if the term "groupie" is a bit strong to refer to many of his female admirers, he may not be so far from the truth!
Don Juan's travels across Europe and the Orient also echoed his own, especially across the Greek islands. To accentuate the resemblance, he adds long digressions on his own life and takes the opportunity to settle his accounts with his ex mistresses, wife, friends, enemies, rivals, and so on.
He also added original chapters, while the different Don Juan then all took up roughly the same episodes. The one with Haydée notably inspired a magnificent painting by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Ford Brown.
An innovative, satirical and ironic work, therefore. But above all, the final and unfinished work of a dazzling spirit and steeped in the enormous contradictions.
Contrary to what one might think, this long poetic ode of seventeen songs is straightforward to read. In an extravagant and magnificent style of course, but also full of humour! True to his taste for scandal, Byron revisits the highly pure myth of Don Juan to reverse it completely.
Don Juan is no longer the violent and cynical seducer that we meet from Tirso de Molina to Mozart. He is a naive and good-willed adolescent who seduces women in a completely involuntary way! Circumstances snatch him from one, and already the next takes him; my faith he lets himself go. There is probably an autobiographical side to it; despite his clubfoot, Byron was renowned for his beauty. His fame and the identification of the writer and his heroes only increased his prestige, and even if the term "groupie" is a bit strong to refer to many of his female admirers, he may not be so far from the truth!
Don Juan's travels across Europe and the Orient also echoed his own, especially across the Greek islands. To accentuate the resemblance, he adds long digressions on his own life and takes the opportunity to settle his accounts with his ex mistresses, wife, friends, enemies, rivals, and so on.
He also added original chapters, while the different Don Juan then all took up roughly the same episodes. The one with Haydée notably inspired a magnificent painting by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Ford Brown.
An innovative, satirical and ironic work, therefore. But above all, the final and unfinished work of a dazzling spirit and steeped in the enormous contradictions.
charlote_1347's review
3.0
Assigned reading for a university module. I really enjoyed the story involving Don Juan, despite the decreasing presence of it as the poem progressed. It flowed smoothly, and fascinated. It was blunt, simple and spontaneous; a living tale, rather than a pre-planned, awkward poem, forced into form without consideration for content. Byron will certainly be one of my favourites from now on. This is definitely worth a read, if you can spare the time (and a fair deal of patience). It missed out on a higher rating with me because of its informality, and Byron's deviation from the story. It reached such drastic limits towards the end that I struggled to finish.
dee9401's review against another edition
5.0
What a fun and educational read. The dedication to Southey and other first generation Romantics who turned their backs on liberalism and embraced Tory causes reminded me of Byron's great romp in English Bards and Scotch Reviewers. For epic tear-downs, Byron's got it.
Canto 1 was awesome. The story of Juan's parent's marriage was great and I loved his description of his affair with Donna Julia. Canto 2 has a wonderful quote: "H/e fell upon whate'er was offer'd, like / A priest, a shark, an alderman, or pike." (Stanza CLXII). The third canto wasn't as good, more rambling, but still full of barbs. Canto V notes how everyone wants to write a book recounting their travel experiences in order to win praise. Canto's VI, IX, XIII and XIV were also really good.
Overall, Don Juan was a fun melding of satire, political commentary, storytelling, and reflections on societal mores. If we isolated just the Don Juan segments, it'd be an amazing story on its own, but adding in everything else makes it so much better.
Canto 1 was awesome. The story of Juan's parent's marriage was great and I loved his description of his affair with Donna Julia. Canto 2 has a wonderful quote: "H/e fell upon whate'er was offer'd, like / A priest, a shark, an alderman, or pike." (Stanza CLXII). The third canto wasn't as good, more rambling, but still full of barbs. Canto V notes how everyone wants to write a book recounting their travel experiences in order to win praise. Canto's VI, IX, XIII and XIV were also really good.
Overall, Don Juan was a fun melding of satire, political commentary, storytelling, and reflections on societal mores. If we isolated just the Don Juan segments, it'd be an amazing story on its own, but adding in everything else makes it so much better.
colorfulleo92's review
4.0
I have to agree with the Goodreads blurb that this poem is "rambling". However something about it was just so compelling and mesmerizing to read. It was easy to get caught up with the beautiful language of the poem and get invested in the story. It took me far to long to pick up something by Lord Byron as I was so sure I wouldn't like it.
musicdeepdive's review
3.75
Docked significantly for the narrative flying all over the place and detouring from any sense of plot (which, admittedly, was probably the point), but saved in large part by Byron's florid, amusing musings. I'll take shorter-form Byron satire over this, from what I've read anyways, but there's plenty of value to this epic nonetheless.