Don Quixote

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It's a hit!

Miguel de Cervantes Saaverda (1547-1616) was one of Spain's greatest military heroes during its Golden Age. He enlisted in the Spanish army and los... (show more)

Miguel de Cervantes Saaverda (1547-1616) was one of Spain's greatest military heroes during its Golden Age. He enlisted in the Spanish army and lost an arm during the battle of Lepanto (1571) in which the Spanish and Italians stopped the advance of the Turks into Western Europe. The Spanish government refused to grant him a pension, so he turned to writing to support himself and his family. He wrote Don Quixote in two installments published in 1605 and 1613. It is considered the first modern novel and is ranked among the greatest works of literature ever published. The word "quixotic," from Quixote, has become a byword for a person who clings to lost causes.

The first part of this huge (my edition has 1050 pages) book contains all the knight's tragic-comic quests and is more popular than the second part which takes up the tale of the Man of La Mancha after he has completed his adventures, and is more serious and philosophical. Don Quixote was a poor country knight who imagined that he lived in the Age of Chivalry. He and his loyal squire, Sancho Panza, leave the town of La Mancha and travel through the countryside searching for quests to perform and damsels in distress to rescue. When he could not find a worthy quest Quixote created one, imaging that windmills were monsters he must defeat, etc, thus the term "tilting at windmills." Every noble knight has to have a fair lady to inflame his passions and justify his quest for glory, so he turned the profane farm girl, Aldonza Lorenzo, into the lady Dulcinea del Toboso without her knowledge. The real overriding theme of the book, slightly disguised, is the shabby way in which Spain treats her heroes. At the end of the second part Don Quixote regains his sanity and renounces chivalry. Sancho tries to restore his quixotic faith, but the knight dies a sane, disillusioned, broken man.

I know my readers do not want to read a 5,000 word review of this great classic, so read it yourself and discover why it will always be considered one of the timeless classics of Western literature. (show less)

 

 

by Jimmy D. Clark

No, it's a flop!

Loooooooong! Makes War and Peace look like light reading in retrospect. Cervantes could make Robert Jordan appear succinct and brief in his writi... (show more)

Loooooooong! Makes War and Peace look like light reading in retrospect. Cervantes could make Robert Jordan appear succinct and brief in his writing style. Overall, I'm glad to have read it and am ambivalent about whether or not I would recommend it to anyone else. Funny at times, drawn-out and boring at others. The evolution of the characters IS interesting, just so slow. The second half (or really the second book published) is far better than the original. Cervantes even pokes fun at the most irksome things in the first book, such as the inclusion of 100 pages of unrelated material, though a good story, completely useless in moving the plot forward or developing the characters. (show less)

 

 

by Thomas Satko

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  Well it took a bloody long time and several hiatuses, but I finished the Good knight errant in the end. It's the kind of book that I can't really recommend to anyone unless they really, really want to read nearly a thousand pages about a guy wandering through Spain pretending to be a knight.
  Having said that, it is pretty entertaining in parts and once you get into it the pages really fly by. I especially enjoyed some of the story when Sancho gets an insula and Don Quixote tries to fend off ... (show more)

  Well it took a bloody long time and several hiatuses, but I finished the Good knight errant in the end. It's the kind of book that I can't really recommend to anyone unless they really, really want to read nearly a thousand pages about a guy wandering through Spain pretending to be a knight.
  Having said that, it is pretty entertaining in parts and once you get into it the pages really fly by. I especially enjoyed some of the story when Sancho gets an insula and Don Quixote tries to fend off a young maiden because he could never cheat on the peerless Dulcinea of Toboso (even though he has never actually met her). It's strange that I enjoyed these story lines because it's the only time in both parts of the book that the squire and knight are separated. Much has been made of the dialogue between the two main characters, but I found it fairly repetitive and not always particularly entertaining.
  So, as I've said, you really have to commit to this book and have the patience to wade through some seemingly pointless details and stories. However, at its best, it is very readable and can be very amusing, macabre and thought provoking (sometimes all at the same time). I'm glad I read it, but more from a sense of accomplishment rather than because it was a really good book. (show less)

   

   

  by Daniel Grainger on Jun 26, 2009 at 03:30AM

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  OK, so this won’t be the most insightful critique of Don Quixote you’ve ever read. I listened to this book on audio CD, and it took me 5 months because I only listened at work when I had data entry to do to keep me awake.

  It was funnier than I thought it would be. Not as profound as I expected given the high esteem it holds in literary circles. I’m not one to try to glean all the meanings and symbolism in books. I tend to take the events and people at face value. I liked Don Quixote and S... (show more)

  OK, so this won’t be the most insightful critique of Don Quixote you’ve ever read. I listened to this book on audio CD, and it took me 5 months because I only listened at work when I had data entry to do to keep me awake.

  It was funnier than I thought it would be. Not as profound as I expected given the high esteem it holds in literary circles. I’m not one to try to glean all the meanings and symbolism in books. I tend to take the events and people at face value. I liked Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. I found it interesting that he stops fantasizing only after his heart is broken. His specific actions were often destructive to those around him, especially toward the beginning. But he softened and mellowed later. I was sad when he “came to his senses” because clearly his life had no meaning without his chivalry.

  Lesson learned from the book? When a handsome man promises to marry you later at some indefinite point in time if only you would make love to him now, DON’T DO IT! Seriously, is it odd to anyone else that that kept happening over and over and over and over? “Evil rogues!” “Poor innocent girl!” NO. Horny dude, stupid girl. Come on! I will be sure to make my daughter read this book before she starts dating!

  Now to watch the movie….. (show less)

   

  by Erin Moorman on Oct 28, 2009 at 05:39PM

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