Book: Don Quixote
Author: Miguel de Cervantes
Pages: 424
This is my 5th read for the year
This is the story of Don Quixote. He and his squire Sancho Panza and Don Quixote's horse - Rocinate - set out on an adventure. Before he was Don Quixote - he was Alonso Quijano whom, after reading novels about chivalry, he decides to change his name to Don Quixote man of La Mancha and decides he is going revive chivalry and serve his nation. Don Quixote doesn't always see the world as it is and wants to live as a knight. On his adventures with Sancho Panza he come to an inn and meets some "ladies" and demands the innkeeper dub him a knight.
Through his adventures he has ups and downs and in the end retires back to his home where he has to take to his bed with illness. He turns back into Alonso Quijano and spends the end of his life at home with his niece and housekeeper.
This is a quirky book. I know most people are familiar with the adventures of Don Quixote - since it has been around since the 1600s. I have fond memories from childhood with the musical Man of La Mancha - it was one of my favorites. The book is quick, and witty, and silly - all the things it should be. I enjoyed it.
Stars: 4
1) “his name to Don Quixote man of La Mancha,” This is what you're making up.
ReplyDeleteThe original “Don Quixote” is an English book. The Spanish translations appeared in 1605 and 1615, much earlier than the original English publications in 1612 and 1620. Between these two periods, in 1614, a “false” Don Quixote was published under the name Avellaneda. The original English text was never released.
Francis Bacon was the brain behind the three books of Don Quixote; he wrote the part of the hero.
Ben Jonson took on the role of Sancho Panza, John Donne wrote the poems, “the two friends” Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher were assigned the task of writing loose stories. These authors made use of the library owned by Robert Cotton.
The printer, William Stansby, inserted concealed clues into the text, in order for the reader to be able to draw conclusions…
The Spanish translations were carried out by Thomas Shelton (DQI + DQII) and James Mabbe (the “bogus” DQ).
Miguel de Cervantes was just a poor Spanish writer who had sold his name to survive. He had told his life-story to the English, so that it could be processed into the DQ.
Ten people, sworn to secrecy about their collaboration in the writing of Don Quixote. Now in this book, after four hundred years, clarity is given as to the “who”, “what” and “why” of all this secrecy.
In the 3 books about Don Quixote there was never mention of La Mancha, that’s a region established in 1691!!
2) “On his adventures with Sancho Panza he comes to an inn” you say, but Sancho was not there when he was dubbed. He came later!!
3) “The book is quick, and witty, and silly - all the things it should be,” you confess.. And that’s the way you see it, read it.. but you didn’t understand all. Doesn’t matter. Everybody enjoys it in his own way.