John Clare's Don Juan: In Your Face

I found John Clare's Don Juan very abrasive.  What really came through was Clare's cynicism.  It's overwhelming.  I've never felt a negative emotion come through so strongly in a poem.  Women are portrayed as overly sexual and untrustworthy.  One excerpt I wanted to focus on:

"Children are fond of sucking sugar candy

& maids of sausages—larger the better

Shopmen are fond of good sigars & brandy

& I of blunt— & if you change the letter—

To C or K it would quite as handy

& throw the next away—but I'm your debtor

For modesty— yet wishing nought between us

I'd hawl close to a she as vulcan did to venus"

This is a great example of Clare's abrasiveness.  Clare simplifies the desire for a woman to simply the desire for "cunt."  I had to reread this several times to make sure I was interpreting it correctly.  I was not sure if that word was even in use at the time, but a little research confirmed my suspicions.

If that wasn't offensive enough, there is an obvious sexualization of the maids shopmen... with the most disturbing sexualization being that of the children "sucking sugar candy."  John Clare seems like he's trying to point out that sex is everywhere.  Something about the format...the way he presents it, maybe, reminds me of John Wilmot, 2nd Early of Rochester as he was portrayed by Johnny Depp in The Libertine: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfTPS-TFQ_c

It's the wit and the animalistic sexuality mixed with cynicism.  It's upsetting, but in an almost entertaining way.