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![Don Quijote de la Mancha I [With MP3] by Miguel de Cervantes](https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/kvhw6thtu7bpnhvxd1ocgvxncu5w)
3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
It took me nearly two months but I finally finished book one. It was a frustrating, funny, exasperating, and ultimately rewarding read but I have no desire to move on to book two. I quit the book twice as I never truly connected with it but it stayed on my mind as I began to routinely see references to it. For that reason alone it was worth reading. I laughed out loud a few times in the process as well. It's not my favorite book by any stretch of the imagination but I am glad I read it, though I'm even happier I've finished it and I can move on. Maybe in 10 years or so I'll come back and read book two. That's how long Cervantes took to publish it so I figure I'll be okay if I don't move on to book two immediately.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First reading thoughts (17/7/2025)
As far as long novels I have read, this comes top of the pile. Grossman's translation in the Vintage publishing that I read was so full of life that even though this shared an episodic feel like that of Moby Dick with several tangents, I was always entertained. As Bloom outlines in the introduction, the tension between duty, death and bathetic treatment of Cervantes' surrounding literary canon is deftly constructed and I'm very excited to take a peek at the Yale course on this novel in order to better understand its allegorical significance as I feel like there is so much symbolism and parody that passed me by, including the actual MEANING of the novel itself to both the author and its contemporary audience of reception and the significance of the evolution of the eponymous protagonist and his companion.
I loved the slapstick to bits and honestly in terms of pure entertainment value and pacing felt that Part 1 had a bit more gusto to it compared with the more senior part 2 which felt more obsessed with philosophical quandury, episodic humour and dramatic irony as well as Cervantes' paranoid reclamation of Don Quijote as an intellectual property in the face of the release of the False Don Quijote.
Love the characterisation of Don Quijote and Sancho-> so vivid and believable (ironically) in their comedy that they feel almost like real peopel. The Duke and the Duchess were a laugh but honestly I found it hard to remember a great deal of the side characters excepting figures such as Sancho's family and the villagers as well as the converted muslim girl accompanying the Christian from the first part. There is an ever-rotating conveyor belt of beautiful women and extraordinary scenes, particularly in part 2, that I as a reader felt almost inundated with information that did not always strike as relevant. Despite part 1's pacing issues in Cervantes' diversions, I actually felt that its longer chapters made things feel more cohesive and lingering on singular characters and giving the universe and cast breathing room with an emphasis on recurrence made my reading more enjoyable.
Very glad/ proud to have finished this absolute tome. I hope one day my Spanish is strong enough to read it in Cervantes' original words as based on Grossman's footnotes there are many a pun and piece of wordplay that leaves a tier of humour unreachable for an English reader (as implied in the ironically accurate initial comments on translation's imperfection in the early chapters wherein the priest and Don Quijote's relatives scrutinise his collection of tales of Knight errantry).
So excite to understand this better and develop a better sense of Cervantes as an author and a man alongside his contemporaries such as the slated Lope de Vega (puppet scene wink wink).
As far as long novels I have read, this comes top of the pile. Grossman's translation in the Vintage publishing that I read was so full of life that even though this shared an episodic feel like that of Moby Dick with several tangents, I was always entertained. As Bloom outlines in the introduction, the tension between duty, death and bathetic treatment of Cervantes' surrounding literary canon is deftly constructed and I'm very excited to take a peek at the Yale course on this novel in order to better understand its allegorical significance as I feel like there is so much symbolism and parody that passed me by, including the actual MEANING of the novel itself to both the author and its contemporary audience of reception and the significance of the evolution of the eponymous protagonist and his companion.
I loved the slapstick to bits and honestly in terms of pure entertainment value and pacing felt that Part 1 had a bit more gusto to it compared with the more senior part 2 which felt more obsessed with philosophical quandury, episodic humour and dramatic irony as well as Cervantes' paranoid reclamation of Don Quijote as an intellectual property in the face of the release of the False Don Quijote.
Love the characterisation of Don Quijote and Sancho-> so vivid and believable (ironically) in their comedy that they feel almost like real peopel. The Duke and the Duchess were a laugh but honestly I found it hard to remember a great deal of the side characters excepting figures such as Sancho's family and the villagers as well as the converted muslim girl accompanying the Christian from the first part. There is an ever-rotating conveyor belt of beautiful women and extraordinary scenes, particularly in part 2, that I as a reader felt almost inundated with information that did not always strike as relevant. Despite part 1's pacing issues in Cervantes' diversions, I actually felt that its longer chapters made things feel more cohesive and lingering on singular characters and giving the universe and cast breathing room with an emphasis on recurrence made my reading more enjoyable.
Very glad/ proud to have finished this absolute tome. I hope one day my Spanish is strong enough to read it in Cervantes' original words as based on Grossman's footnotes there are many a pun and piece of wordplay that leaves a tier of humour unreachable for an English reader (as implied in the ironically accurate initial comments on translation's imperfection in the early chapters wherein the priest and Don Quijote's relatives scrutinise his collection of tales of Knight errantry).
So excite to understand this better and develop a better sense of Cervantes as an author and a man alongside his contemporaries such as the slated Lope de Vega (puppet scene wink wink).
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't want this book to end. I love the characters of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza so much, they are just as life-like as the people in our everyday lives are. Don Quixote begins with the joy of madness and ends with the tears of sanity. Even though Iām sad to have closed the book on them for now, I am comforted by the fact they live on my shelf and I can revisit Don Quixote and Sancho whenever I need. This book is therapeutic; you can turn to it for a laugh, for a reminder of how to act, for a reminder of how to cherish your relationships, it just gives so much life to anyone who gives it a chance.
Don Quixote starts the journey fully out of his mind, but through his interactions with others and the many adventures he attempts, his intelligence and honor shines like a beacon, completely overshadowing his madness. Sancho Panza learns, through both rote and trial-and-error, how to act like his master, including how to be courteous and empathize with others.
While Part I does get a little lost in its digressions, Part II is where the book really shines. As there was a ten year gap in real life between Part I and Part II, all the people that Don Quixote and Sancho meet in Part II have read Part I, meaning our heroes begin to realize they are trapped in their own book, giving this a very strange postmodern flavor. Part I contains many of the popular and famous moments forever captured in art and music (the battle against the windmills and the armies of sheep, for example), but Part II contains the stunning meditation of what Don Quixote found in the cave of Montesinos, as well as the lessons of virtue passed on from master to squire.
This book will have you guffawing with laughter on one page and then meditating quietly on your own actions and dreams the next. I think if everyone acted more like Don Quixote and Sancho, embracing the adventures of life, treating everyone as the best version of themselves, and always on a quest to improve our own selves, then we would all be happier people.
Don Quixote starts the journey fully out of his mind, but through his interactions with others and the many adventures he attempts, his intelligence and honor shines like a beacon, completely overshadowing his madness. Sancho Panza learns, through both rote and trial-and-error, how to act like his master, including how to be courteous and empathize with others.
While Part I does get a little lost in its digressions, Part II is where the book really shines. As there was a ten year gap in real life between Part I and Part II, all the people that Don Quixote and Sancho meet in Part II have read Part I, meaning our heroes begin to realize they are trapped in their own book, giving this a very strange postmodern flavor. Part I contains many of the popular and famous moments forever captured in art and music (the battle against the windmills and the armies of sheep, for example), but Part II contains the stunning meditation of what Don Quixote found in the cave of Montesinos, as well as the lessons of virtue passed on from master to squire.
This book will have you guffawing with laughter on one page and then meditating quietly on your own actions and dreams the next. I think if everyone acted more like Don Quixote and Sancho, embracing the adventures of life, treating everyone as the best version of themselves, and always on a quest to improve our own selves, then we would all be happier people.
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did not know what to expect. I had no idea he was so unserious! But they are so racist š and this book is so old it is slow and hard to read
adventurous
challenging
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
It was often funny, but it's also the same joke for 1000 pages. The prose isn't great. There's a lot of 1500s and 1600s Spanish culture, so if you're into that, have a blast. This would probably get less than 3 stars if I wasn't considering how groundbreaking the meta and parodical elements were.
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
I started this book over six months ago. It took me that long to read it because I read it mostly in 10-15 minute chunks during my daily commute. Reading this book has been a pleasure throughout. The book has a surprisingly post-modern feel to it. Lots of stories within stories, self-reflexivity, etc. I particularly enjoyed vol 2, though vol 1 contains more of the iconic sequences, such as the battle with the windmills.
I really love the character of Sancho Panza. He steals the show, in my opinion. He is funny, endearing, and full of wisdom despite his outward foolishness. I found the most entertaining part of the story to be the section in which Sancho finally gets to be a governor and doles out justice in a more wise and efficient manner than most qualified officials.
Although this is the kind of book that I would wish to never end, I was very satisfied with the ending. For such a fun and silly story it has a very tragic ending. Don Quixote becomes ill, but through his physical illness he becomes clear headed and recognizes that he had been insane, and wasted his life romanticizing chivalric tales. He has no accomplishments to speak of, and no wife or children. This recognition of his wasted life destroys him and he soon dies. In a sense, he has lost his imagination, his childlike playfulness; he has matured, but because of his arrested development, his maturity is straight from childhood to death. Cervantes probably killed Don Quixote for fear of plagiarists that would steal his character, which had already happened between the publication of vols. 1 and 2. But the death of the Don also drives home his major point, his purpose for writing the book, which was a warning against filling one's head with ridiculous, outdated ideals of chivalry.
Some things I would like to learn more about regarding this book:
What's with all the cross dressing? Several of the couched stories about lovers and prisoners contain elements of cross dressing. Is this part of Cervantes' commentary on gender roles or is it related to Don Quixote's own role-playing?
Did Cervantes predict the Romantic period of literature? Don Quixote is a tool for Cervantes to criticize the romanticizing of the chivalric literature of the past. However, the novel also contains a very large quantity of sub stories about shepherds, and Cervantes also criticizes the romanticizing of bucolic archetypes. In fact, after Don Quixote is defeated and must give up knight errantry, but before he regains his sanity, he proposes to become a love-sick shepherd instead. Much of the literature that would follow Cervantes 200 years later did indeed romanticize the pastoral life style. Did Cervantes see that coming and try to head it off, or was he only responding to an already strong pastoral sentiment among his contemporaries?
I really love the character of Sancho Panza. He steals the show, in my opinion. He is funny, endearing, and full of wisdom despite his outward foolishness. I found the most entertaining part of the story to be the section in which Sancho finally gets to be a governor and doles out justice in a more wise and efficient manner than most qualified officials.
Although this is the kind of book that I would wish to never end, I was very satisfied with the ending. For such a fun and silly story it has a very tragic ending. Don Quixote becomes ill, but through his physical illness he becomes clear headed and recognizes that he had been insane, and wasted his life romanticizing chivalric tales. He has no accomplishments to speak of, and no wife or children. This recognition of his wasted life destroys him and he soon dies. In a sense, he has lost his imagination, his childlike playfulness; he has matured, but because of his arrested development, his maturity is straight from childhood to death. Cervantes probably killed Don Quixote for fear of plagiarists that would steal his character, which had already happened between the publication of vols. 1 and 2. But the death of the Don also drives home his major point, his purpose for writing the book, which was a warning against filling one's head with ridiculous, outdated ideals of chivalry.
Some things I would like to learn more about regarding this book:
What's with all the cross dressing? Several of the couched stories about lovers and prisoners contain elements of cross dressing. Is this part of Cervantes' commentary on gender roles or is it related to Don Quixote's own role-playing?
Did Cervantes predict the Romantic period of literature? Don Quixote is a tool for Cervantes to criticize the romanticizing of the chivalric literature of the past. However, the novel also contains a very large quantity of sub stories about shepherds, and Cervantes also criticizes the romanticizing of bucolic archetypes. In fact, after Don Quixote is defeated and must give up knight errantry, but before he regains his sanity, he proposes to become a love-sick shepherd instead. Much of the literature that would follow Cervantes 200 years later did indeed romanticize the pastoral life style. Did Cervantes see that coming and try to head it off, or was he only responding to an already strong pastoral sentiment among his contemporaries?