The Last Night of Don Juan: A Dramatic Poem in Two Parts and a Prologue

Rostand, Edmond, 1868-1918Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.5
Word count
90K words
Chapters
9

Tags

Foreign Language Books Dramatic Literature Legendary LivesFate and FortuneLove EntanglementsLife PhilosophyComplex HumanityPsychological InsightWestern ThoughtMoral DilemmaSatirical Style

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.La dernière nuit de Don Juan: poème dramatique en deux parties et un prologueAuthor: Rostand, Edmond, 1868-1918,Language: French, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Nov 10, 2018

Editor's review

Rostand's dramatic poem takes the last night of Don Juan as its title and rewrites the legendary figure in a structure of two parts and a prologue; it is a French-language public-domain e-book. Its value lies in turning Don Juan from a seductive libertine into a philosophical figure confronting death and faith; the language is attentive to rhythm and stage effect, making it suitable for experiencing the pace and rhetoric of French verse drama. Its strengths are the structural echo between the prologue and the two parts and the tension of the characters between temptation, remorse, and arrogance. It is suitable as a close-reading text for lovers of French literature and drama, and for readers studying how the Don Juan motif is transformed by different writers. Because it is a verse drama, the plot advances through dialogue and monologue, which may feel action-light on first reading; reading aloud or imagining the stage is recommended to enter it.

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Reading tips

  1. Read the prologue first to understand the situation and tone the author sets, then proceed to the two parts.
  2. Choose a monologue and read it aloud to feel the rhythm of the verse, then return to the text's structure.
  3. As you read, note Don Juan's self-justifications in each dialogue and trace the line of his psychological change.
  4. After finishing, compare with Molière's or Mozart's version to see differences in how the character is handled.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a play? It is a dramatic poem with a structure of parts plus a prologue, advanced through dialogue and monologue rather than narrative prose. Treat it as a stage text, noting scenes and characters' entrances and exits.
What level of French is needed to read it? The text is in verse French, with vocabulary and syntax of some difficulty; intermediate or higher reading ability and a dictionary are recommended. On first reading, grasp the plot and character relationships, then return to rhythmic details.
Will not having read other Don Juan works hinder understanding? It is not a hard obstacle, but knowing the basic framework of the Don Juan legend makes the author's rewrites easier to see. Afterward, you might look at Molière's comedy or a summary of Mozart's opera to compare the character's trajectory.

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About the author

Rostand, Edmond, 1868-1918 Author

Edmond Rostand (1868–1918) was a French poet and playwright known for his verse dramas. His masterpiece, Cyrano de Bergerac, portrays a brilliant swordsman-poet who is ashamed of his appearance; with witty dialogue, romantic plotting and a blend of comedy and tragedy, it became one of the most frequently performed works in French theatre history. His other plays, including L'Aiglon and Chantecler, often draw on history or fable, featuring ornate language, strong rhythm and a preference for heroism and self-sacrifice. The library holds thirteen of his works, including various editions and foreign-language translations of these plays. Public information on his early education, official posts and awards is limited, so no speculation is offered here; his influence lies chiefly in the continuation of the verse-drama tradition and the wide circulation of the character Cyrano.