Don Juan

Don Juan (Legendary character)PoetryFictionPoetry (poetic works by one author)Juan

3.8

Open Library

About this book

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 favourite of the Empress Catherine who sends him on to England. Written entirely in ottava rima stanza form, Byron's Don Juan blends high drama with earthy humour, outrageous satire of his contemporaries (in particular Wordsworth and Southey) and sharp mockery of Western societies, with England coming under particular attack.

Themes & subjects

Don Juan (Legendary character)PoetryFictionPoetry (poetic works by one author)JuanPr4359 .a1 2004

Characters & people

About the author

Lord Byron

22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824

Lord Byron was an English poet known as much for his life of scandals, exile and excess as for his elegant and well-crafted poetry. Known by his peers as dark, seductive and romantic, his legacy, the brooding Byronic hero still influences modern audiences two hundred years on.