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Unit 14 Study Guide

Don Quixote is on of the most celebrated novels ever written in Western literature.  The work of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547 - 1616) of Spain, the novel was first published in 1605 and was an immediate popular success.  It relates the adventures of Don Quixote, a gentleman of La Mancha, who fashions himself as a gallant knight-errant, in the sense of the ancient chivalric code of European Middle Age romance.  In the work, Cervantes at first intended a kind of parody of the literature of romance and adventure.  In fact, he produced a work set in a modern era in which the major character chooses to adopt a lifestyle and point of view that is no longer relevant to his time.  In so doing, Cervantes "bring[s] together concrete actuality and highly ideal values" (text), resulting in what many critics recognize as "the first modern novel."

Readings

Read the Introduction to Cervantes and Don Quixote, pp. 1960 - 1964
Read the selections from Don Quixote, pp. 1964 - 2072  

Study Questions

1) What is the function of Don Quixote's squire, Sancho Panza?  Cite examples of irony that Sancho Panza provides in his reactions and responses to the plans and claims of Don Quixote.

2) Characterize the attitude of the narrator regarding Don Quixote.  Is it a sympathetic or unsympathetic relationship?  Cite specific passages that support your position.

3) Cite examples of Don Quixote's chivalry.  What qualities of the "chivalric code" does he most realistically emulate?  On the other hand, what qualities most reflect his absurdity?

4) In what sense are Don Quixote's ideals of a higher standard than those of the Spanish society that he targets for reform?

Key Concepts

Romance
A "romance" is a literary work, often of extended length, that addresses the fanciful and idealistic views of human character and experience.  In its heroic manifestation, it features gallant characters whose prowess in battle and witty traffic with the gods marks them as effective leaders and nation builders.

Realism
Just the opposite of "romance," "realism" seeks "to tell the truth."  While the "truth" is subject to various interpretations and perspectives from which it is related, "realism" rejects fancy and imagination in deference to objective observation and reason.

Burlesque
A literary device and figure of speech, burlesque is the process of reducing a subject to a set of distinctive features that are distorted or exaggerated for purposes of humor or criticism.  In two-dimensional rendering, political cartoons are excellent examples.  In literature, burlesque often targets subjects in one economic or social class or another, members of different educational levels, and (not to its credit) members of different races.

This page was last modified on January 17, 2006,
and is maintained by Dr. Geoffrey A. Grimes.