Don Quixote is often nominated as one of the world's greatest
works of fiction.(Most recently in a poll of leading authors around the
world conducted by the Norwegian Book Clubs in 2002).
The novel's
landmark status in literary history has meant it has had a rich and
varied influence over later writers, from Cervantes' own lifetime to the
present-day.
Miguel de Cervantes originally intended Don Quixote
to be a parody on traditional popular ballads, yet he also parodied the
romance of chivalry. He has also produced one of the most entertaining
adventure stories of all time and two of the greatest characters in
fiction; Don Quixote and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza.
Don Quixote is the world's first novel and by far the best-known book in Spanish literature.
The
novel introduces us to Alonso Quixano who was a retired country
gentleman in a part of Spain called La Mancha. In retirement, Alonso
became obsessed with the whole concept of the rules and customs of
knighthood and of chivalry in general. He spent so much time and effort
in this pursuit that local people believed him to be a little deranged.
He
was so obsessed with chivalry that he decided to become a knight-errant
and went in search of adventure. He donned an old suit of armour,
renamed himself Don Quixote of La Mancha and renamed his horse
Rocinante.
After an initial encounter at an inn which Don Quixote
believed to be a castle, he recruited a neighbour called Sancho Panza to
be his "squire" and between them set off on their adventures, the first
of which was their encounter with windmills, which they believed to be
ferocious giants. Many more adventures followed and the whimsical nature
of the novel can be appreciated by the content pages alone. One of the
chapters - 52 is entitled: "Of the Quarrel that Don Quixote had with the
Goatherd, together with the rare adventure of the penitents, which with
an expenditure of sweat he bought to a happy conclusion."
The
novel ends with Alonso Quixano's return to sanity his complete
disenchantment and renunciation of chivalry, and finally, his death.
The
novel has been translated into more languages than any book other than
the bible; adapted to the stage more than any other non-dramatic text;
illustrated more than any other novel; and inspired more films than any
other literary work.
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616)
studied in Madrid then became a soldier and was wounded in battle. He
was captured by pirates in 1575, put in prison at Algiers, and was
ransomed five years later. He spent the rest of his life struggling to
earn a living from literature and humble government employment. His
first attempt at fiction was a pastoral novel, La Galatea (1585), which
was followed by his masterpiece, The Adventures of Don Quixote de la
Mancha (1605).
Monday, August 27, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
A Ghost in Cornwall
This land is my memories. For two thousand years this valley has been mine alone.
I know every rock, every stream and every tree. I know the forces that shape this land and the people who inhabit it.
A billion years ago this land was a migratory trail for the animals of Western Europe. They roamed freely across the huge land of one continent. Millennia passed as the rivers washed silt to the ocean and the sun raised rain to the sky. At that time the mass of Eurasia was joined. The tectonic plates shifted and islands formed, raising proud, green peninsulas on green water, thrust out to the ocean. Long before my time the forces of nature battled along the coasts of Western Europe. From the Southwest, the Gulf Stream warmed and opened the land with summer heat. From the north, ice raged and cracked the rock of what would become the British Isles.
The land tells me it was an epic struggle. The generous heat of earth, venting her spleen, the wash of the water, cooling and circulating air. Rain succoured the land and ran back to the sea, endless cycles, repeating endlessly. The earth shifted, chasms opened and the sea swept in, submerging areas and separating the islands of Britain and Ireland from the mainland.
Spouts of boiling lava spewed from the molten centre of earth to create granite formations, a source of wonder till the end of time. A great rift opened up what is now the Bristol Channel and the Irish Sea, separating the land into distinct areas. Many characteristics still connect Brittany, Ireland, Wales, and Cornwall. Their joining can still be seen in place and people. But veins of power run through the sea, a matrix of energy criss-crosses the land and reaches out around our planet.
The Phoenicians, Egyptians and Greeks journeyed to these coasts even before the Iron Age, in search of Keltic wisdom, since long before the time of my youth. They followed the trail of gold and wisdom across the sea to Cornwall and then to Wales and Ireland. Later, tin trade followed these routes across Brittany and the journeys of wise men and saints to the west of land, the land of setting sun, of Gods and the quest for immortality that haunts us all. Ships and boats from the French and Spanish coasts often sailed to rivers on the south coast of Cornwall in search of trade and journey with the friendly and civilised Keltii, hopefully avoiding the pirates that have ravaged these coasts for millennia.
2000 years ago I was killed trying to save my mother from Portuguese raiders on the river, who stole the gold that came from Ireland. My story is located in the valley of one of these rivers, now called 'River Fowey'. It is a story that I have not been able to tell until now. My own story starts with the visit of Jesus of Nazareth to the river Fowey in 30 AD (according to the Julian Calendar and allowing for a seven year miscalculation). He was twenty three years old. He journeyed on a vision quest to the west-of-land, in search of the wisdom of the Keltii and union with his father spirit. I have spent much time thinking about this moment and my brief encounter with a man who claimed to be Son of God. For hundreds of years I puzzled at his smile, the light in his gaze. He had a quality of being rare in the extreme, an utter and unconditional compassion for all life.
I know every rock, every stream and every tree. I know the forces that shape this land and the people who inhabit it.
A billion years ago this land was a migratory trail for the animals of Western Europe. They roamed freely across the huge land of one continent. Millennia passed as the rivers washed silt to the ocean and the sun raised rain to the sky. At that time the mass of Eurasia was joined. The tectonic plates shifted and islands formed, raising proud, green peninsulas on green water, thrust out to the ocean. Long before my time the forces of nature battled along the coasts of Western Europe. From the Southwest, the Gulf Stream warmed and opened the land with summer heat. From the north, ice raged and cracked the rock of what would become the British Isles.
The land tells me it was an epic struggle. The generous heat of earth, venting her spleen, the wash of the water, cooling and circulating air. Rain succoured the land and ran back to the sea, endless cycles, repeating endlessly. The earth shifted, chasms opened and the sea swept in, submerging areas and separating the islands of Britain and Ireland from the mainland.
Spouts of boiling lava spewed from the molten centre of earth to create granite formations, a source of wonder till the end of time. A great rift opened up what is now the Bristol Channel and the Irish Sea, separating the land into distinct areas. Many characteristics still connect Brittany, Ireland, Wales, and Cornwall. Their joining can still be seen in place and people. But veins of power run through the sea, a matrix of energy criss-crosses the land and reaches out around our planet.
The Phoenicians, Egyptians and Greeks journeyed to these coasts even before the Iron Age, in search of Keltic wisdom, since long before the time of my youth. They followed the trail of gold and wisdom across the sea to Cornwall and then to Wales and Ireland. Later, tin trade followed these routes across Brittany and the journeys of wise men and saints to the west of land, the land of setting sun, of Gods and the quest for immortality that haunts us all. Ships and boats from the French and Spanish coasts often sailed to rivers on the south coast of Cornwall in search of trade and journey with the friendly and civilised Keltii, hopefully avoiding the pirates that have ravaged these coasts for millennia.
2000 years ago I was killed trying to save my mother from Portuguese raiders on the river, who stole the gold that came from Ireland. My story is located in the valley of one of these rivers, now called 'River Fowey'. It is a story that I have not been able to tell until now. My own story starts with the visit of Jesus of Nazareth to the river Fowey in 30 AD (according to the Julian Calendar and allowing for a seven year miscalculation). He was twenty three years old. He journeyed on a vision quest to the west-of-land, in search of the wisdom of the Keltii and union with his father spirit. I have spent much time thinking about this moment and my brief encounter with a man who claimed to be Son of God. For hundreds of years I puzzled at his smile, the light in his gaze. He had a quality of being rare in the extreme, an utter and unconditional compassion for all life.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Don Quixote - By Miguel De Cervantes - A Short, Concise Review
First published in 1605, and the second part in 1615, Don Quixote was
written to ridicule what were then, for Cervantes, all too prevalent
tales of the heroic adventures of knights, and the idle escapism of
indulging in such stories. Cervantes even goes so far as to address us
as 'Idle Reader' in his preface to the book, ridiculing his audience for
the very fact that they are reading fiction. But Don Quixote is
different from most fiction books in that it contains strong,
philosophical undertones. It is widely quoted as one of, if not the best
fiction work ever written, for both its humour and its deeper message.
"he so immersed himself in those romances that he spent whole days and nights over his books; and thus with little sleeping and much reading his brains dried up to such a degree that he lost the use of his reason"
Don Quixote follows the adventures of the deluded titular character, who gets in to all manner of absurd situations due to the fact that, after reading tales about Knights for years on end, his ability to reason disintegrates, and he sets out to emulate the subjects of his obsession. What follows is some of the most senseless, farcical literature ever written; such happenings include Don Quixote mistaking a small inn for a castle, and attacking 4 merchants whom he believes are criminals. He is accompanied by his short, fat squire Sancho, whom although can be ridiculed for the very fact that he is supporting and following Don Quixote, and that he rides around on an ass, is actually quite wise, and is similar to the character of the wise man of low station, much like the fool in King Lear.
"I sometimes think that all you tell me of knighthood, kingdoms, empires and islands is all windy blather and lies"
What begins as a hilarious parody (and it still retains this hilarity) turns into a deeper, philosophical commentary about identity and perception. Whether you seek a lengthy, riveting story, a greatly amusing read or deep reflections on humanity, you will find it in this book. From mistaking windmills for giants to doing battle with sheep, Don Quixote remains a widely read classic, for good reason.
"He had scarcely gone a short league, when Fortune, that was conducting his affairs from good to better, discovered to him the road, where he also espied an Inn. Sancho positively maintained it was an Inn, and his master that it was a castle"
"he so immersed himself in those romances that he spent whole days and nights over his books; and thus with little sleeping and much reading his brains dried up to such a degree that he lost the use of his reason"
Don Quixote follows the adventures of the deluded titular character, who gets in to all manner of absurd situations due to the fact that, after reading tales about Knights for years on end, his ability to reason disintegrates, and he sets out to emulate the subjects of his obsession. What follows is some of the most senseless, farcical literature ever written; such happenings include Don Quixote mistaking a small inn for a castle, and attacking 4 merchants whom he believes are criminals. He is accompanied by his short, fat squire Sancho, whom although can be ridiculed for the very fact that he is supporting and following Don Quixote, and that he rides around on an ass, is actually quite wise, and is similar to the character of the wise man of low station, much like the fool in King Lear.
"I sometimes think that all you tell me of knighthood, kingdoms, empires and islands is all windy blather and lies"
What begins as a hilarious parody (and it still retains this hilarity) turns into a deeper, philosophical commentary about identity and perception. Whether you seek a lengthy, riveting story, a greatly amusing read or deep reflections on humanity, you will find it in this book. From mistaking windmills for giants to doing battle with sheep, Don Quixote remains a widely read classic, for good reason.
"He had scarcely gone a short league, when Fortune, that was conducting his affairs from good to better, discovered to him the road, where he also espied an Inn. Sancho positively maintained it was an Inn, and his master that it was a castle"
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