Don Quixote (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Cervantes M.D.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: Don Quixote is a satirical novel that critiques the defunct knightly system. Don Quixote is the debut novel of the great Spanish writer Cervantes. The protagonist, Don Quixote, is a poor gentleman who lives in the village of La Mancha. He becomes obsessed with knightly novels and resolves to revive the knightly code, imitating the knights of old to travel the world and fight for justice. He wears a set of ragged armor left by his great-grandfather, carries a lance, and rides a poor, thin horse, secretly leaving home to embark on adventures. He chooses a young woman from a neighboring village to be his ideal "lady" and dedicates his life to serving her, determined to "take great risks, achieve great deeds, and accomplish extraordinary feats," helping those who are wronged and oppressed. On his first outing, he is defeated and beaten so badly that he is returned home on a donkey, "like a dried-up corpse." On his second attempt, he convinces a farmer, Sancho Panza, to become his squire, promising him the position of governor of the island one day. However, he ends up doing many ridiculous things. On his third outing, Sancho becomes a "governor" in a town belonging to the Duke, and Don Quixote eagerly tries to realize his ideal of reforming society. As a result, the master and his servant suffer greatly and nearly lose their lives. Throughout the novel, the author uses a sharp satirical pen to mercilessly mock and ridicule the ruling class of Spain while expressing deep sympathy for the suffering of the common people.