Scan barcode
manoushp109's review against another edition
adventurous
4.25
read cantos i, iv, v for class
byron kinda ate w this im not gna lie
the rhyme scheme ??? the jauntiness ??? juan is problematic but he’s so free. there’s so many weird things that go on and byron is also problematic but what a fun read for class
byron kinda ate w this im not gna lie
the rhyme scheme ??? the jauntiness ??? juan is problematic but he’s so free. there’s so many weird things that go on and byron is also problematic but what a fun read for class
ayavandenbussche's review against another edition
5.0
What a journey is this poem. I don't pretend to know much about poetry, I have read very little of it and have enjoyed most of it (William Blake's Milton was the exception, which I didn't really like). The little poetry I have read has impressed me in one way or another and it is no doubt a unique form of writing. That said, reading Don Juan, my first ever Byron, had knocked me sideways, and many other ways. The poetry reads so flowing and natural. It is both hysterically funny, I laughed out loud, and grim. The craft of this poem is just beautiful. His command of language is inspiring. I admit I had no idea.
I guess I heard so much about Byron and he's become a bit of an icon, which can sometimes be tiresome. And yes he's over dramatic and a bad boy, and emotionally messed up and I'm sure everything has been said about the man, but damn he can write and it's magnificent.
The humour, especially that of the narrator, reminds me of Don Quixote, which makes me love it even more.
I must mention Jonathan Keeble who read the audible version of Don Juan. His voice is excellent and his acting adds so much to this poem. When it comes to poetry, I think I like listening to it being read while I follow with a book. Keeble made this journey exciting and wonderful.
I guess I heard so much about Byron and he's become a bit of an icon, which can sometimes be tiresome. And yes he's over dramatic and a bad boy, and emotionally messed up and I'm sure everything has been said about the man, but damn he can write and it's magnificent.
The humour, especially that of the narrator, reminds me of Don Quixote, which makes me love it even more.
I must mention Jonathan Keeble who read the audible version of Don Juan. His voice is excellent and his acting adds so much to this poem. When it comes to poetry, I think I like listening to it being read while I follow with a book. Keeble made this journey exciting and wonderful.
thebookishchapter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
feeona's review against another edition
I loved the way the story is written, the rhymes, the words, the describtions.... really beautiful work. But sometimes the author was too truant for me, he talked a lot about himself etc and left the main story aside, which bored me a bit, because I wanted to read about Don Juan.
jokie123's review against another edition
4.0
Very romantic, satirical, and philosophical. Can be complicated most of the time, but great read!
chahat's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
blueyorkie's review against another edition
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.
hannahws's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Trust Lord Byron to check every mood box on the list! I'm annoyed by Don Juan - I want to hate Byron unequivocally, but hot damn he can write. His descriptions are so lush, rich, and evocative, he has a fantastic way with words and wordplay, and there's so many interesting historical subtextual glimpses and references that I know I'll be rereading this book for a while
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism and Violence