Don Quixote de la Mancha (Oxford World's Classics) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Oh my. What a satisfying read. Of course you are familiar with the basic premise of this book, the mad Don Quixote tilting after windmills, his faithful squire Sancho Panza at his side and always on the lookout for a good meal. What I was not prepared for, and was totally delighted by, were the many and varied side stories, the topsy turvy relationship between madness and sanity (and who is which, anyway?), the wisdom of Sancho Panza as Governor (at long last!) of his very own island, and the surreal relationship between the narrator, the author, and the narrated.

This is a complex work, and could be discussed with many different themes in mind--idealism vs. pragmatism, honesty vs. duplicity, madness vs. sanity, the follies of the rich vs. the follies of the poor. Chivalry. Romantic love. Storytelling. Renunciation. The Quest. Devotion. Class structure. Religious persecution.

The only thing that bothered me about this book was that everybody was endlessly enchanted and ready to give the benefit of the doubt to beautiful young men and women, that beauty in this book equaled virtue and a kind heart, a small complaint indeed regarding this masterpiece.

If you've already read this book, this is just preaching to the choir. But if you're trying to decide whether or not to take the time, the answer is yes, yes and yes! You won't regret it, and your heart and soul will thank you.

Every human soul should be required to read this at least once in his/her lifetime.

What blew me away is how 'modern' it is. Written in the early 1600's, Cervantes (via Don and Sancho) pontificates without end on how "today's" society has lost its will, its moral fiber, its work ethic, its lack of respect for things like....chivalry.

The Ingenious Man of LaMancha, the Knight of the Sorrowful Figure, is a man for all times. His 'madness' is, quite truly, a 'madness' of which we could all benefit.

Long? Yes. Lots of divergent/side stories? Yes. What great work doesn't answer 'yes' to both.

And, yeah, it's funny too.

Don Quixote himself (as so many other reviewers either trumpet and proclaim or allow themselves to admit) is a flat out wonderful creation; a man so clearly out of his mind and yet one we cannot help but root for and hope to be never disuaded from his insanity, that he becomes something of an aspiration for all of us dreamers and imaginative souls. Here is a man who believes on in good, in what is noble and decent (let us ignore the occasional lapses into seeming intolerance, taking the early 17th century into account and contrast that with both Don Quixote's treatment of the so-called scourge as well as the identity of the fictitious author of this work within the work) and in an essential love for all of humanity. None of us--and that includes no one--can ever hope to even reflect the nobility of this grand character. His truth, filled with wizards and monsters and dreams coming true, is more like a place we all wish we could be than the sad and head-wagging tragedy it might be in our own realities. This book is a thing of beauty, a hope screaming in a bottomless well of scorned dreams that make up all of our lives and to condemn such flights of fancy and such obvious ranting lunacy makes one resemble the sad, defeated figure at the end of this book. The lesson to be learned is that once we give up on our dreams, all that is left is death.

Recommended very highly. The length should not intimidate or put one off as it is a quick-paced narrative filled with adventures and excitement and all told with a cool-headed satirical view. Give it a chance and do not take anything like logistical errors and clear and obvious mistakes to heart as Cervantes was wise enough to catch himself later on and comment on all the misunderstandings that any academic and humorless mind might see fit to whine about and then tell that person they are a fool because they cannot relate to the Don's point of view.