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A review by dee9401
Don Juan by Lord Byron, Susan J. Wolfson, Truman Guy Steffan, Peter J. Manning
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.