Don Juan [Paperback]

Lord George Gordon Byron (Author), T. G. Steffan (Editor), E. Steffan (Editor), W. W. Pratt (Editor), Susan J. Wolfson (Introduction), Peter J. Manning (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: March 29, 2005

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.

Editorial Reviews

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (March 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140424520
• ISBN-13: 978-0140424522
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #257,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent, accessible, hilarious, December 19, 2000

By 

Vincent R. Corvaia "yourpalvince" (Maine, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don Juan (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

This has to be the longest poem I've ever finished, and yet it still wasn't long enough. It's compulsively entertaining, touching, funny, exciting, and life-affirming. You don't have to be an academic to appreciate it. And even if you don't finish it, you'll appreciate what you do finish for its own sake.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The original, the hilarious, the one and only..., November 17, 2005

By 

Jack_Hughes (southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don Juan (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

"When I want to know the news, I read Byron"
-- Frank O'Hara

And when you REALLY want to know the news, reach for "Don Juan" (pronunciation hint: 'Juan' is spoken as 'Joo-wan,' i.e. it rhymes with 'tear him a new one.')

This, sports fans, is the original Thing Itself: not only is it caustic, sharp, and hysterically funny (remember that, readers -- it's meant to be FUNNY!), but Byron dictated a lot of it out loud while he was shaving in the morning. I'm not kidding. Read this brilliant stuff, and imagine a guy just making it up as he goes along, in the bathroom while he's shaving. (Yup, the original freestyler -- unbelievable.)

It's worth reading the whole long thing just to come across gems like:

"Her first thought was to cut off Juan's head;
Her second was to cut off his... acquaintance."

And as to its enduring relevance, well, consider Byron's razor-sharp two-line appraisal of women's rights in Muslim countries...

"I speak of Christian lands in this comparison ---
Where wives, at least, are seldom kept in garrison."

Kick back, relax, and have yourself a Lord Byron: ice-cold, pure, and bottled at the source.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent, April 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Don Juan (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Don Juan is one of those works that live forever. One of the greatest works of literature, Byron succeeds in encompassing everything in mock-epic. It has love, politics, passion and satire, to name but the few, and everyone should read it. Aeneid, Iliad, Metamorphoses and Don Juan, are in the same category, but the latter outshines them all!!