So, as Canto 15 opens, Don Juan is still staying with some wealthy friends in the English countryside. Some of the married ladies are interested in Juan, including his host, Lady Adeline. As in the cantos before, not much happens in this canto either, but we do get more of Byron’s famous digressions. Continue reading
We last left Don Juan staying as a guest at an estate in the English countryside. Not much plot occurred in the last canto, and not much happens in this one either, but we do get more of Byron’s famous digressions.
He starts this canto with a discussion of suicidal tendencies. Continue reading
When we last left Don Juan, he had become quite popular in English society. What happens next? He’s invited to spend some time at the country estate of Lord Henry and his wife Lady Adeline Amundeville who is the queen bee of London society. They pass the time leisurely doing things like hunting, fishing, boating, writing letters, and having conversations over dinner. That’s about all that happens plot-wise, but we do get some more delightful digressions from Byron. Continue reading
An ancient evil awakes near the small town of Canyon Shadows, Utah. Garrett Porter, an antiques dealer whose wife and daughter died in a car crash a year ago and who is trying to quit drinking, is drawn to the town. Troy Grimes, a man investigating his father’s suicide and who’s trying to quit smoking, is also drawn to the town. The mysterious Sheriff Dan Blackwood lives in Canyon Shadows and can sense something big is coming. When an ancient evil has the ability to possess the bodies of both the living and the dead, you can’t feel safe around anybody. Continue reading
When we last left Don Juan, he had become the toast of the town in London. So what happens next? Well, as usual, Byron starts with some general musings. I liked this bit in which he points out that there isn’t that much difference between a saint who lives a life of poverty and a miser: Continue reading
When we last left Don Juan, he had just arrived in England where he will remain for the remainder of the poem. Byron starts, as we’ve come to expect, by writing whatever he happens to be thinking about at the time. This time, it’s death. Continue reading
Mexico City
We again see elite panic in the aftermath of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. The government ordered buildings bulldozed even when there were people still inside. But we also see altruism since many students lay down in front of the bulldozers to stop them. Continue reading
When disaster strikes, many people believe all hell breaks loose and it’s every person for themselves, but in her book, A Paradise Built in Hell, Rebecca Solnit makes the case that people actually pull together and become more altruistic than normal in the wake of catastrophe. Continue reading
When we last left Don Juan, he was in Russia and Catherine the Great had taken a shine to him. Let’s see what happens next.
Canto 10 opens in praise of astronomers: Continue reading
The Metamor City podcast takes place in a world in which sci-fi and fantasy meet. There’s flying cars, but also vampires, psychics, wizards, and the like. This is an action-packed story with a large cast of characters and interesting plot twists. Continue reading
Mania Delight 