Don Quixote

Author: Miguel de Cervantes
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Don Quixote is a world-famous masterpiece. This eccentric Spanish gentleman, who took himself for a knight, rode a lean horse with a squire, and has almost traveled the world since the 17th century. Don Quixote has become a typical character and is ranked alongside Hamlet, Faust, and other outstanding figures in Western literary creation. Cervantes is no longer unfamiliar in China. He was hailed by authors such as Charles Dickens, Gustave Flaubert, and Leo Tolstoy as the "Father of Modern Fiction," and the images of the two wandering knights—one tall and thin, the other short and fat—in Don Quixote are well-known to people of all ages. Cervantes has been enshrined as a classic writer and Don Quixote has continued to receive attention from the literary world, remaining a focal point for readers. New Curriculum Standards Designated Classics is selected based on the recommended reading list from the Full-Time Compulsory Education Chinese Curriculum Standards published by the Ministry of Education and the designated reading list from the General High School Chinese Curriculum Standards. This series has the following features:
1. Expert Introduction with Three-Point Self-Assessment (Key Points, Difficulties, Knowledge Points, Self-Test). The series invites foreign literature experts and professors to write introductions, clarifying the key points, difficulties, and knowledge points of the classics to help readers better understand them. The "Self-Test" at the end of each book lists review and reflection questions related to the classic, catering to the learning needs of middle school students, making it easier for them to study and prepare for exams.
2. Abridgment. The series is abridged by foreign literature experts and professors, ensuring the essence of the original work is preserved while condensing overly lengthy and rambling chapters. This allows students to better and faster grasp the classics, saving study time and achieving better results.
3. Annotations. To help readers better understand the classics, the series invites experts and professors to provide detailed annotations on foreign literary schools, trends, historical events, historical figures, and place names mentioned in the classics. These annotations are not only helpful for students to read and comprehend the classics but also serve as a reference for teachers when preparing lessons.
Don Quixote is a landmark work by the Spanish master Cervantes, an enduring giant in the temple of literature. According to the book, Don Quixote is a poor gentleman in his fifties, "thin in build and gaunt in appearance," who loved knight-errant tales to an extreme degree. He donned armor to become a knight-errant, fighting for justice, and only realized his folly upon his death. Through this novel, Cervantes attempted to satirize the still-popular knight-errant tales of his time. However, in mocking and teasing the conventions of society and literature at the time, he far surpassed the mere purpose of satire with his rich imagination and lofty spirit. The novel provides a cross-section of life, thought, and emotion in late Spanish knight-errant times.