Post by Desdemona on Apr 6, 2002 7:19:06 GMT -5
How can one not like Cervantes? I guess everyone has heard of the crazy Don Quijote and his 'squire' Sancho Panza. It's not just a good story; it has many different layers.
First of all it's a satire, a parody on tales of chivalry, which makes it funny. Cervantes also dares to criticize the monarchy, the nobility and the clergy.
Secondly, the 'theatrum mundi' aspect is reflected in it (cf. 'All the world's astage, and all the men and women merely players'): the characters in the novel like to make fun of Don Quijote, so they go along with him in his fantasy, play the game. Even Sancho does so, but for a different reason: he loves his friend so much that he doesn't want to disillusion him.
The most important aspect is probably this: the story represents the spirit of the age (in Spain at least) very accurately: Don Quijote escapes real life by creating a dream world and that's what many people tried to do. Of course he exaggerates, he gets carried away too much while reading tales of chivalry so that he can't see the difference between real and unreal anymore. And that constitutes the universal 'message' of this novel: within every person there is tension between idealism and realism. Maybe I should speak for myself, but I think that's a very true thing.
How do you like 'Don Quijote'? Why is that?
First of all it's a satire, a parody on tales of chivalry, which makes it funny. Cervantes also dares to criticize the monarchy, the nobility and the clergy.
Secondly, the 'theatrum mundi' aspect is reflected in it (cf. 'All the world's astage, and all the men and women merely players'): the characters in the novel like to make fun of Don Quijote, so they go along with him in his fantasy, play the game. Even Sancho does so, but for a different reason: he loves his friend so much that he doesn't want to disillusion him.
The most important aspect is probably this: the story represents the spirit of the age (in Spain at least) very accurately: Don Quijote escapes real life by creating a dream world and that's what many people tried to do. Of course he exaggerates, he gets carried away too much while reading tales of chivalry so that he can't see the difference between real and unreal anymore. And that constitutes the universal 'message' of this novel: within every person there is tension between idealism and realism. Maybe I should speak for myself, but I think that's a very true thing.
How do you like 'Don Quijote'? Why is that?
