Don Quixote de la Mancha
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| Don Quixote de la Mancha | |
|---|---|
| Author | Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra |
| Publication date | First Part: 1605 Second Part: 1615 |
| Publication Place | Spain |
| Publisher | (First one) Juan de la Cuesta |
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra created the endearing character of Don Quixote de la Mancha in the book by the same name. In modern Spanish it is Don Quijote, with a "j" as it sounds as a strong "h". When the book was published it was written with an "x", but Spanish-language spelling changed some centuries after.
Don Quixote was an older gentleman, who having read too many books about chivalry, decided to become a knight. Unfortunately, he was a few generations too late. His new profession and the world he lived in were, to say the least, not a good match. However, his desire for a better world shines through and his "disconnects" with the "real world" often indicate, in a comic way, things that weren't good about his world. His fight against the windmills he mistook for giants in chapter VIII of the first part, became an icon in western culture.
The book starts when he decides to be a knight errant (caballero andante) and he names his horse, Rocinante, and himself as Don Quijote (his real name is Alonso Quijano). At the end of a day of walking he finds a hotel. He treats two prostitutes as if they were princesses. The owner understands that Quijote is insane and helps him to become a real knight. Don Quijote must stay awake watching his weapons. After that, the owner makes him a knight and Don Quijote thanks him and his ladies. He then goes out to search a squire, who will be Sancho Panza.
The first part was published in Spanish in 1605 and the second in 1615, both parts have usually been printed together since then.
[edit] Influence
The book is considered as the first modern novel. It had deep influences in later novelists including Henry Fielding, Fyodor Dostoevsky and William Faulkner, among many others.
| Quote "There is nothing in the world more profound or powerful than this work. This is the ultimate and greatest word that human thought has yet produced, it is the bitter irony expressible by man, and if the world were to end and someone were to ask there, somewhere, 'Well, did you understand your life on earth? What conclutions did you reach about it?' one could silently point to Don Quixote: 'Here is my conclusion about life; can you judge me for it?'" |
[edit] Recommendations
This book is excellent for anyone who still has a spark of idealism and the ability to see humor in extremes. An obligatory book for anyone interested in metafiction, or the relations between society, madness, literature and technology.
Someone who liked this book might also enjoy Cervantes' Exemplary Novels, Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding.
[edit] External references
- Wikipedia's article on Don Quixote
- the Literature Network's article on Don Quixote
- Project Gutenberg's on-line version of Don Quixote
- On-line versions in English and Spanish: http://www.donquixote.com/
