Don Quixote (Volume 1 and 2) (Includes CD-ROM)

Author: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: Don Quixote is a satirical novel that critiques the defunct knightly system. The protagonist, Don Quixote, is a poor gentleman living in the village of La Mancha. He becomes obsessed with knightly romances and resolves to revive the chivalric code, traveling the world in imitation of ancient knights to subdue the wicked and protect the oppressed. He wears a tattered suit of armor left by his great-grandfather, wields a lance, and rides a pitifully thin horse as he sets off alone on an adventure. He chooses a farmer's girl from a neighboring village as his beloved, determined to serve her and help the oppressed and the wronged. His first battle goes disastrously, leaving him defeated and carried home on an ass by the locals. Seeing the harm he has suffered due to his obsession with knightly novels, his family burns all his books. In his second adventure, he convinces an old farmer, Sancho Panza, to become his squire, promising him the title of governor of an island someday, and engages in many more absurd and ridiculous deeds. In his third adventure, Sancho becomes a "governor" in a town belonging to the Duke, and Don Quixote eagerly tries to realize his ideal of reforming society, only to suffer immense torment and nearly lose his life. Finally, Don Quixote is defeated by the Knight of the White Moon and lies ill in bed. On his deathbed, he admits that he had always been mad and only now has become clear-headed, realizing that the books were all nonsense. It is too late for regret now. He earnestly warns his niece not to marry anyone who has read knightly novels.