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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First things first, it feels essential to me to talk about just how much most quick descriptions completely misrepresent this story to modern readers. I knew, from briefly learning about Don Quixote in high school, that it was a long story about a crazy man pretending to be a knight and jousting at windmills on a mount that can barely carry him and with a fool for a squire. And that seems to be the same preview that everyone shares. But that explanation omits almost more than it explains.
For one thing, this is a massive volume with probably 120+ chapters, and the tilting at a windmill only happens once, in one chapter. And in the remainder of the book are a wildly varied array of characters, stories, and adventures. There is so much that goes on in this book, and it just can't be summed up by one adventure. And that doesn't even begin to touch on the humor and themes.
Cervantes must've had SO MUCH FUN writing this story. Because his stylistic choices of talking about the "original" writer of this story, the first half of the book (in the second half), and the fanfiction that prompted the second half (also in the second half) are all done with such nuance and cleverness, I had so much fun recognizing subtle jokes layered into deeper literary concepts all throughout the novel. And of course, the adventures themselves were often funny, and the characters were incredibly loveable, memorable, and also hilarious. The humor ranges from dramatic irony to poop jokes. I think I laughed every time I picked up this book.
I also think it's important to understand just how big an impact Cervantes has had on writing. He is considered the Spanish equivalent of Shakespeare and the originator or the novel as a popular form of writing. Every major novel that modern readers love has roots in Don Quixote. I've heard a lot about Dickens and Tolstoy being rooted in Don Quixote, but even books like The Princess Bride and Tress of the Emerald Sea have unmistakable roots in Don Quixote.
Looking at themes, the biggest overarching question of the novel is whether or not Don Quixote is actually insane. And based on how others treat him, the most obvious follow-up question is how sane every other character is. Personally, I think the more important question of the two is the second. How we choose to act and treat others is far more important than what we cannot choose. As for Don Quixote, I personally believe Don Quixote is sane and has chosen a path that just looks insane to people who don't understand his passion.
Don Quixote experiences SO MUCH physical beating, to the point that I sometimes wondered how he could survive. He also endures being made a laughing stock and quite a bit of mental torment. For me, this book was often just as sad as it was funny because nearly every "adventure" also includes some sort of mental or physical injury. It really accurately depicts Cervantes life and the idea that life requires struggle and pain.
But it also really begs the question of why anyone would ever choose to endure such torment. And maybe it's because I'm a rock climber, but the more I think about it, the more I really get it. To live the life you choose and pursue your passion regardless of what is logical or practical is truly living the dream. Don Quixote is the hero for every climber who wants to quit their job and become a full time dirtbag. He is the hero for every man with thousands of dollars invested in model trains in his basement. He is the hero for every person saving money just for travelling the world at every chance they get.
I'd argue that this novel asks if there is even a life worth living when all "illogical" pursuit of passion has been removed from it. Both reaching that understanding of the novel and reading commentary linking Don Quixote with Hamlet and Moby Dick has made me decide that it might just be time for me to read Moby Dick.
I also feel like I've barely touched on some themes that I really loved. At the core of the novel is the question of sanity and the idea of pursuing your passions. But there were several other characters and elements that beautifully portrayed expanded upon deeper themes. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are a beautiful portrayal of friendship, while the Knight of the White Moon provides a good opportunity for self examination (to make sure you're not like him). The part that sold me on the novel early on was a section where Cervantes gave a female character the chance to say what so many women never have the opportunity to say to men who objectify and villify them. Cervantes ability to portray the plight of women a full 400 years before now in a way that is still accurate today is ASTOUNDING. And seeing a man defending women from double standards as far back as 1600 is SO great to see. I loved that part SO MUCH, even though Don Quixote wasn't the center of that story.
I listened to the audiobook of Don Quixote, and even just going back to my physical copy to annotate sections has made me abundantly aware of how much I will need to be rereading this book many, many times. But it was so much fun that I think I'll really enjoy doing so. I highly recommend the translation I read by Edith Grossman, as it made the book feel relatable in the contemporary, day-to-day feel it had when it was first written (while still being a highly accurate translation). I also highly recommend the audiobook read by George Guidall; while I know there's room to interpret some lines many different ways, I loved the humor with which he read it, the way he made characters distinct without sounding hokey, and how easily he pronounced Spanish names that probably would have tripped me up on my own.
I used to think this was just another long book that didn't really need to be studied anymore, but I'm definitely convinced now that, just like Shakespeare's plays, Don Quixote is something everyone should read.
For one thing, this is a massive volume with probably 120+ chapters, and the tilting at a windmill only happens once, in one chapter. And in the remainder of the book are a wildly varied array of characters, stories, and adventures. There is so much that goes on in this book, and it just can't be summed up by one adventure. And that doesn't even begin to touch on the humor and themes.
Cervantes must've had SO MUCH FUN writing this story. Because his stylistic choices of talking about the "original" writer of this story, the first half of the book (in the second half), and the fanfiction that prompted the second half (also in the second half) are all done with such nuance and cleverness, I had so much fun recognizing subtle jokes layered into deeper literary concepts all throughout the novel. And of course, the adventures themselves were often funny, and the characters were incredibly loveable, memorable, and also hilarious. The humor ranges from dramatic irony to poop jokes. I think I laughed every time I picked up this book.
I also think it's important to understand just how big an impact Cervantes has had on writing. He is considered the Spanish equivalent of Shakespeare and the originator or the novel as a popular form of writing. Every major novel that modern readers love has roots in Don Quixote. I've heard a lot about Dickens and Tolstoy being rooted in Don Quixote, but even books like The Princess Bride and Tress of the Emerald Sea have unmistakable roots in Don Quixote.
Looking at themes, the biggest overarching question of the novel is whether or not Don Quixote is actually insane. And based on how others treat him, the most obvious follow-up question is how sane every other character is. Personally, I think the more important question of the two is the second. How we choose to act and treat others is far more important than what we cannot choose. As for Don Quixote, I personally believe Don Quixote is sane and has chosen a path that just looks insane to people who don't understand his passion.
Don Quixote experiences SO MUCH physical beating, to the point that I sometimes wondered how he could survive. He also endures being made a laughing stock and quite a bit of mental torment. For me, this book was often just as sad as it was funny because nearly every "adventure" also includes some sort of mental or physical injury. It really accurately depicts Cervantes life and the idea that life requires struggle and pain.
But it also really begs the question of why anyone would ever choose to endure such torment. And maybe it's because I'm a rock climber, but the more I think about it, the more I really get it. To live the life you choose and pursue your passion regardless of what is logical or practical is truly living the dream. Don Quixote is the hero for every climber who wants to quit their job and become a full time dirtbag. He is the hero for every man with thousands of dollars invested in model trains in his basement. He is the hero for every person saving money just for travelling the world at every chance they get.
I'd argue that this novel asks if there is even a life worth living when all "illogical" pursuit of passion has been removed from it. Both reaching that understanding of the novel and reading commentary linking Don Quixote with Hamlet and Moby Dick has made me decide that it might just be time for me to read Moby Dick.
I also feel like I've barely touched on some themes that I really loved. At the core of the novel is the question of sanity and the idea of pursuing your passions. But there were several other characters and elements that beautifully portrayed expanded upon deeper themes. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are a beautiful portrayal of friendship, while the Knight of the White Moon provides a good opportunity for self examination (to make sure you're not like him). The part that sold me on the novel early on was a section where Cervantes gave a female character the chance to say what so many women never have the opportunity to say to men who objectify and villify them. Cervantes ability to portray the plight of women a full 400 years before now in a way that is still accurate today is ASTOUNDING. And seeing a man defending women from double standards as far back as 1600 is SO great to see. I loved that part SO MUCH, even though Don Quixote wasn't the center of that story.
I listened to the audiobook of Don Quixote, and even just going back to my physical copy to annotate sections has made me abundantly aware of how much I will need to be rereading this book many, many times. But it was so much fun that I think I'll really enjoy doing so. I highly recommend the translation I read by Edith Grossman, as it made the book feel relatable in the contemporary, day-to-day feel it had when it was first written (while still being a highly accurate translation). I also highly recommend the audiobook read by George Guidall; while I know there's room to interpret some lines many different ways, I loved the humor with which he read it, the way he made characters distinct without sounding hokey, and how easily he pronounced Spanish names that probably would have tripped me up on my own.
I used to think this was just another long book that didn't really need to be studied anymore, but I'm definitely convinced now that, just like Shakespeare's plays, Don Quixote is something everyone should read.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Was getting confused and would like to try the physical book
adventurous
funny