CraigHMy reflections on Don Quixote
December 20th 2006 04:00
Alonso Quixana having read too many stories of romance and chivalry sets off on a journey to establish his reputation as Don Quixote, knight-errant extraordinaire. The central irony and source of amusement in the book so far is the sight of a man supposing himself to be other than he is.
The book raises the question of idealism. One reading is that Don Quixote embodies all that is good, noble and chivalrous and that the modern world is so corrupt that he appears to be a madman, similar in a way to the image given by Socrates of the man who, having reached the sunlit world and having looked and the sun, then returns stumbling and ineffective to the shadowy world of the cave.
Another reading is that misplaced idealism is indeed delusional and that the simple men of the story: Sancho Panza, the shepherds and inn keepers are the perceivers of truth in the narrative. It is hard to resist this interpretation when we read about Don Quixote finding what he is looking for even when it is not there. Sancho sees the windmills, Don Quixote see giants who must be slain. Sancho sees monks, Quixote sees demons. Sancho sees an inn, Quixote sees a castle.
We get a glimpse of Quixote's high idealism in chapter 11 in which he expounds at great length and in beautiful detail on the Golden Age, a mythical time in which there was no conflict, strife or hardship and in which the earth yielded up it fruits without labour. Quixote seems to be on a mission to restore the earth to this ideal state of beautification and in doing so is portrayed as ludicrously out of touch with reality.
In the context of 15th Century Span, Don Quixote must have seemed to be a very individualistic character. He stands alone as a unique individual. We don't see him participating in communal activities of church or village nor is he portrayed as a family man. He is an individual, a man in control of (or trying to take control of) his own destiny. He has a vision of what he could be and pursues it relentlessly, not to be dissuaded by the ridicule of the Duke and Duchess nor by misadventures he meets along the way. In this sense he keeps company with other literary figures such as Robinson Crusoe and Faust who also pursue their own individualistic goals. He backs himself unquestioningly in matters of morality. It is noteworthy that Don Quixote rarely refers to others for guidance and never hesitates to take matters into his own hands. He is sure of right and wrong and even disastrous consequences do not cause him to doubt his own judgement.
Don Quixote also comes across as the embodiment of idealised Romanticism. The object of his love, Aldonza Lorenza whom he reinvents as Dulcinea del Toboso, is so idealised that she never actually appears in the book. She is an idea in his mind alone and never materialises in the story. In fact it seems as if Don Quixote dies having never met her. This striving and never achieving is a theme which runs throughout the book. Don Quixote strives for love, for chivalry, for recognition and achieves none of them. The question is, do we therefore view him as a failure or do we admire him for persevering despite his shortcoming? The idealist in us admires his endeavours while the realist in us ridicules his failures.
So is Don Quixote a Classic? Any book which can claim to be the first novel and which inspired Freud to develop his theories of psychoanalysis must necessarily hold a unique place in the history of literature. To appreciate it fully we need to try to put ourselves in the shoes of the 15th century Spaniard who has never read a novel and whose existence revolves around the communal life of church and family. To these readers, Cervantes' classic must have appeared as a revolutionary conception of human life portrayed in a lively, humorous and yet thought provoking style. To have changed the course of literature and to remain relevant and controversial to the present day must sure be the mark of a classic.
The book raises the question of idealism. One reading is that Don Quixote embodies all that is good, noble and chivalrous and that the modern world is so corrupt that he appears to be a madman, similar in a way to the image given by Socrates of the man who, having reached the sunlit world and having looked and the sun, then returns stumbling and ineffective to the shadowy world of the cave.
Another reading is that misplaced idealism is indeed delusional and that the simple men of the story: Sancho Panza, the shepherds and inn keepers are the perceivers of truth in the narrative. It is hard to resist this interpretation when we read about Don Quixote finding what he is looking for even when it is not there. Sancho sees the windmills, Don Quixote see giants who must be slain. Sancho sees monks, Quixote sees demons. Sancho sees an inn, Quixote sees a castle.
We get a glimpse of Quixote's high idealism in chapter 11 in which he expounds at great length and in beautiful detail on the Golden Age, a mythical time in which there was no conflict, strife or hardship and in which the earth yielded up it fruits without labour. Quixote seems to be on a mission to restore the earth to this ideal state of beautification and in doing so is portrayed as ludicrously out of touch with reality.
In the context of 15th Century Span, Don Quixote must have seemed to be a very individualistic character. He stands alone as a unique individual. We don't see him participating in communal activities of church or village nor is he portrayed as a family man. He is an individual, a man in control of (or trying to take control of) his own destiny. He has a vision of what he could be and pursues it relentlessly, not to be dissuaded by the ridicule of the Duke and Duchess nor by misadventures he meets along the way. In this sense he keeps company with other literary figures such as Robinson Crusoe and Faust who also pursue their own individualistic goals. He backs himself unquestioningly in matters of morality. It is noteworthy that Don Quixote rarely refers to others for guidance and never hesitates to take matters into his own hands. He is sure of right and wrong and even disastrous consequences do not cause him to doubt his own judgement.
Don Quixote also comes across as the embodiment of idealised Romanticism. The object of his love, Aldonza Lorenza whom he reinvents as Dulcinea del Toboso, is so idealised that she never actually appears in the book. She is an idea in his mind alone and never materialises in the story. In fact it seems as if Don Quixote dies having never met her. This striving and never achieving is a theme which runs throughout the book. Don Quixote strives for love, for chivalry, for recognition and achieves none of them. The question is, do we therefore view him as a failure or do we admire him for persevering despite his shortcoming? The idealist in us admires his endeavours while the realist in us ridicules his failures.
So is Don Quixote a Classic? Any book which can claim to be the first novel and which inspired Freud to develop his theories of psychoanalysis must necessarily hold a unique place in the history of literature. To appreciate it fully we need to try to put ourselves in the shoes of the 15th century Spaniard who has never read a novel and whose existence revolves around the communal life of church and family. To these readers, Cervantes' classic must have appeared as a revolutionary conception of human life portrayed in a lively, humorous and yet thought provoking style. To have changed the course of literature and to remain relevant and controversial to the present day must sure be the mark of a classic.
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