Originally Posted by
Yaakov001
I have read it in English several times. I have it in the Grossman translation, the Ormsby translation, and the Smollett translation revised by Slade. I am now having a go of it in the original Castilian. This of course, will be more difficult simply because (1), Castilian is a bit harder than the Costa Rican or Mexican Spanish dialects I speak, and (2), Literary Castilian is yet harder, and (3), Literary Castilian from 1605 is yet even more difficult as the language has undergone some change since then, albeit not as much as English has (and English of that period is quite easy for me, since I have my advanced degree in Renaissance British History).
What follows is STRICTLY my opinion. Although I believe it is valid, and I believe I have good reason for holding the views that I do, my opinion is only worth the weight you choose to assign it. so, that having been said... Tally ho, and off we go!
In order to truly understand Don Quixote (and please do note that in its original Castilian, the word is spelt Quijote with a "j" letter and not with an "x" letter, which I THINK is an Anglicisation), one has to be familiar with the history of Spain at this time period.
An acquaintance of mine from Spain put it this way:
This is why Spaniards could, after the Reconquista, accept the Expulsion of the Moors and Jews with so little protest, and demand so much from the New Christians (Moors or Jews who decided to become Christian rather than leave). And it is strongly suspected that Cervantes may himself have been descended from a Morisco family (one that used to be Muslim and converted; ie, one who would have been considered a New Christian). He served at the Battle of Lepanto against the Muslims and was crippled for life in the permanent damage of his left hand. Nevertheless, he did not get a position in the New World for which he had been striving for years, which, had he been an Old Christian, would likely have been his.
Now, as to the book itself, Why Don Quixote? At the time, Spain was just coming out of a few things. One, books on chivalry were just beginning to drop in popularity among the literate. So razzing them was a sure way to gain an audience. Secondly, however, was the fact that Spain, although appearing outwardly to be a top rate power, was beginning to feel the pain of the cost of Empire. Although she was getting more and more gold and silver from Mexico and Peru, she was also spending huge amounts to maintain control over the Empire with her army and navy spread out across globe, and she was beginning to challenged by other European interests, like England, France, and eventually, the Netherlands, and after the union of Spain and Portugal ended, the latter country as well.
Don Quixote is a commentary on more than just chivalry, but rather, includes Spanish society generally, with all its quirks. As I PERSONALLY see it, and I may be wrong, Sancho's constant reminder that Don Quixote has promised him an insula (island) is a constant reminder to US that Spain itself is in the middle of what would become in the end a losing enterprise, namely, control of large numbers of non-Spanish people that would eventually reject it.
But here is the ultimate question of the novel: WHO IS MAD? Is Don Quixote mad, or is the world mad? I know that sounds almost trite. But it IS, for all its triteness, a legitimate question. Don Quixote, for all his strangeness, reminds me much of the Asperger's Syndrome patient, or Autism patient, both highly functioning. I know this, because I am the former.
The reason I say this is because Asperger's often comes along with other stuff for the ride, in my case, Bipolar Disorder I, which can be associated with psychotic symptoms. I have had it all. And in many cases, to avoid psychotic breaks with reality, I have chosen to consciously break with reality in a controlled way for my own good health, when I have had some down time on my own, and people haven't been around. Far better to do that so I can control it then to have it happen in an uncontrolled fashion and some inopportune moment!
It can be very difficult to read Don Quixote at first. Interestingly enough, the first 100 pages are about the hardest to read of the whole book. It gets much better after that. I would encourage you to continue. But this is not to say that the book is EVER easy. It isn't. It calls upon the reader to accept certain aspects of the human condition that he hasn't been asked to look at before. But if you can do that, then this book will be one you will want to specialise in.
Reply With Quote
