Don Quixote is a classic novel that is centered around a man who appears to be going mad after reading too much. This novel is supposed to be comedic, but many have claimed that it is hard to read. Is that really the case?
Don Quixote is really hard to read. The language of the novel is quite dated, and the novel seems to be long and boring. Many people find it hard to sustain their attention while reading this novel.
In this article, we talk about how hard Don Quixote really is to read.
What is the Plot of Don Quixote?
Don Quixote, a down-on-his-luck nobleman from La Mancha in central Spain, devours books about knights and chivalry. A little too much, as the man eventually loses all sense of reason and becomes convinced that he is a knight.
He prepares himself for battle by mounting his warhorse, donning his armor, and recruiting a squire to assist him. The only problem is that Don Quixote constructed his own armor, that the nag isn’t a war horse, and that the common farmer isn’t a squire.
That doesn’t seem to concern him in the least, though, because in his mind, the taverns are castles, the prostitutes are noble damsels, and the famed windmills are scary giants whom he heroically battles. This almost never ends well. Don Quixote and his faithful shield-bearer Sancho Panza often end up bloodied and bruised after their daring exploits.
Is Don Quixote Hard to Read?
Despite its many admirable qualities, “Don Quixote” is a challenging read. Most individuals find it too daunting to read and never manage to finish the whole thing. The first book has 52 chapters, and the second has 74. It’s also very dense.
The author of “Don Quixote” took a network of backroads, farmland, riverbeds, and small towns rather than a superhighway. There are times when it is unclear where you are going; even Don Quixote is unsure of his destination at times.
The sound of a damsel in distress is enough to draw his attention away from whatever he was doing, and he rushes off to save her. Don Quixote also has a habit of rambling on, which is a major distraction. Don Quixote has a weapon, armor, and a horse, so we expect him to accomplish something, yet for the most part, he just talks for 126 chapters.
Don Quixote often gives lengthy speeches after battles, and Sancho puts it best when he says, “It seems to me that Your Grace was born to be a preacher rather than a knight.”
The book’s vocabulary is also rather outdated, so you may have trouble following along. But if you settle in with this book and give it your undivided attention, you should be able to grasp the story’s crucial details without much trouble. The chapters even provide us with helpful titles that provide a summary of what happens in them.
Simply put, Don Quixote is a long, challenging read. But if you put in the time and effort, you can join the select circle of people who have read the entire work.
What to Know Before Reading Don Quixote
Don Quixote was first and foremost a satire, a systematic parody of the plethora of bad Spanish romance books that were available at the time. The good thing about this novel is that you are not required to have any knowledge about bad 16th/17th-century Spanish romance novels to understand or just appreciate it, which is also why it remains popular even today. It’s clear that Cervantes isn’t satirizing specific works, but rather the concept of daring chivalric romance.
Ten years after the first volume, Cervantes writes another that is substantially different in tone, delving even deeper into his characters and the satire.
When it comes to irony, Cervantes is such a skilled writer that it is simple to get confused if you aren’t paying attention.
Note that Don Quixote is almost certainly one of the novels that has been misunderstood the most over the course of human history. It is second only to Gulliver’s Travels, another book in the same genre.
Why is Don Quixote Considered the First Modern Novel?
The realistic themes explored in Don Quixote, such as the role of industrialization in disrupting the natural order, made it the first novel of its kind. Don Quixote, the masterpiece and most important work by Miguel de Cervantes, tells the story of a man who goes mad after reading too many romantic novels about chivalry and decides to become an errant knight and do great deeds to impress the woman he loves.
The Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Epic of Mio Cid are all examples of old works that you would find labeled as “novels” in your library, but Don Quixote was the first to depict a more human and approachable heroic figure.
Quijote isn’t a demi-god or someone with extraordinary strength or abilities. Of course, one could argue that his quest for fame and glory was helped along by the gods because he had the loyal squire Sancho Panza and the trusty steed Rocinante.
Why is Don Quixote Worth Reading?
The novel’s inclusion on numerous “100 Best Books of All Time” lists attests to its status as a literary classic around the globe. Books that make it onto such lists often do more than just tell a good story; they also comment on the art of storytelling itself. It’s a work of literature that discusses other works of literature.
Recall that the protagonist becomes so immersed in chivalric fiction that he loses touch with reality. Actually, that was a common belief back then; reading might be harmful. However, the story itself provides no evidence that too much imagination might be harmful to a person.
The fact that it can be interpreted in a variety of ways while still raising fundamental questions about the nature of reality and the place of fantasy in the world makes it a truly remarkable literary work.
Conclusion
So, by now, it’s no secret that Don Quixote is quite hard to read. But once you read it, you’ll understand why it is included in the list of the best novels ever written. It is truly a satirical masterpiece.
