Don Juan

Byron's exuberant parody involves the adventures of a youth named Don Juan. His exploits include an adulterous liaison in Spain, an affair on a Greek island with a pirate's daughter, a masquerade in a Sultan's harem, a bloody battle in Turkey and a sojourn in Russia as the lover of Catherine the Great - all described by a narrator who frequently digresses from his hero in order to converse with his readers about war, society and convention. A revolutionary experiment in epic, Don Juan blends high drama with earthy humour, outrageous satire of Byron's contemporaries (in particular Wordsworth and Southey) and mockery of Western culture, with England under particular attack.

George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-û1824) gained a reputation for his startling good looks and extravagant behavior. With the publication in 1812 of the first two cantos of -ôChilde Harold-'s Pilgrimage-ö 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.