Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Description:

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes is widely regarded as one of the most influential works of Spanish literature ever published and a true founding work of the modern novel. Published in two volumes in 1605 and 1615, Don Quixote tells the famous story of the chivalrous Alonso Quijano who reimagines himself as the noble knight Don Quixote. Though highly entertaining, the work was profoundly insightful for its time, using wit and humor to skewer popular tropes of outdated chivalric romances.

Cervantes conceived Don Quixote during Spain’s Golden Age, when the nation was undergoing significant cultural and socio-political changes after the end of the Reconquista and the beginning of its global empire. Don Quixote spoke profoundly to these transitional times, employing allegory and satire to shine a light on themes of romantic idealism contrasted with a more pragmatic modern world driven by commerce and rationalism. It also captured anxieties over shifting definitions of honor, nobility, and Spain’s role on the world stage in this dynamic period of discovery and conquest.

Beyond its plot and characters, Don Quixote represented a revolutionary new step for the literary form of the novel. As one of the earliest full-length works of prose fiction, it established conventions that still define the modern novel, proving that longer works of engaging narrative prose not written in verse could be a legitimate art form. To this day, Don Quixote remains a founding work for the novel genre worldwide and an inspiring masterpiece whose influence continues to shape literature, culture and ideas of idealism, madness and what it means to be modern.

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