DON JUAN’S TRANS-MEDITERRANEAN, TRANSATLANTIC AND TRANSTEXTUAL JOURNEYS: LATIN AND ANGLO-SAXON (CON)FUSIONS
DON JUAN’S TRANS-MEDITERRANEAN, TRANSATLANTIC AND TRANSTEXTUAL JOURNEYS: LATIN AND ANGLO-SAXON (CON)FUSIONS

Summary/Abstract: This paper aims to trace the evolution of a remarkably mobile myth of Western literature across geographical spaces and literary traditions in an attempt to highlight the cultural relevance of modern reinterpretations of classical texts and the insights into issues of individual identity provided by works of fiction. After discussing the various ways in which Byron’s Don Juan departs from the stereotypical image of the callous seducer associated with the Spanish versions, the analysis will focus on one of the most recent reiterations of the Don Juan story in Jeremy Leven’s Don Juan DeMarco and will use the recycling of the English version of the myth in a contemporary context as the starting point of an inquiry into the complicated nature of identity in present-day North America, from the protagonist’s questionable Italo-Mexican roots and upbringing to issues such as literary identification, infatuation with public figures, therapy and self-improvement. By applying a comparative and contrastive reading to these Anglo-Saxon versions of the myth, the paper will not only point out the differences between two apparently identical personalities but will also attempt to highlight the intricate identity of the Hispano-American Don Juan, whose profile is based on a fusion of literary sources that is at least as complex and rich as his cultural heritage. The analysis of Johnny DeMarco as the true descendant of Tirso de Molina’s ‘burlador’ as well as of Byron’s Don Juan will also entail references to the frequently ambiguous relationship between reality and fiction and to the discursive dimension of seduction.

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