Don Quixote (Penguin Classics) | Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Don Quixote (Penguin Classics) | Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra | Without discretion there can be no humor

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Don Quixote (Pengu...

	Don Quixote (Penguin Classics) Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Penguin Classics, 2003 - 1072 pages average customer review:based on 26 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Don Quixote, errant knight and sane madman, with the company of his faithful squire and wise fool, Sancho Panza, together roam the world and haunt readers' imaginations as they have for nearly four hundred years.

Translated with Notes by John Rutherford
Introduction by Roberto González Echevarría

A translation that laughs as Cervantes did --

Comparing some 7-8 translations in-store, judging from the author's preface alone, this penguin edition appeared to be the most faithful, both syntactically and rhythmically. The 'English' translations succeeded in reducing the pace of the original Spanish to pedantic and boorish academic English; the majority of the modern renderings this reviewer viewed appeared to be self-consciously bowdlerized paraphrasings for the purpose of making Cervantes 'accessible' to the literature consuming portion of the dullard masses; the 'cultured' public . . .
the compromises these versions made were unacceptable and facile in the main.

A great translation, don't bother with the leveled down tripe or plodding prose of paraphrast translators of dubious intent.

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Without discretion there can be no humor

'Don Quixote' is largely considered to be a satire on the popular chivalric ballads of Cervantes' day, but don't be fooled. This novel is no satire on chivalry, itself. Indeed, through the trials of Quixote and Sancho Panza, Cervantes is perhaps the greatest promoter of chivalric ideas that the West has ever known. No other protagonist so thoroughly embodies the ideals of heroism, romantic love, friendship, honor, discretion, trust, virtue, and adventure than does Don Quixote. It just so happens that he is insane, but the author is able to look beyond that. So too should the reader.

The knight's sallies are absolutely delightful and, it must be credited, alone prove Cervantes' genius in writing. The dialogue between Quixote and Sancho is excellent comedy, creating a duo that has gone unsurpassed in originality and endearment for five centuries. "Is it possible that Your Worship can be so thick skulled and brainless as to not perceive the truth of what I allege?" Classic.

But these adventures, hilarious as they may be, give us frame for a storehouse chivalric truisms, the like of which can be found in no other work of fiction. A sampling would include: "An author had better be applauded by the few that are wise than laughed at by the many that are foolish;" "Anyone who has been a good squire will never be a bad governor;" "There is a wide difference between flying and retreating; valor which is not founded on the base of discretion is termed temerity or rashness;" and "Whenever virtue shines in an emanant degree, she always meets with persecution."

The reader cannot help but to love such regal assuredness, such profound idealism. Ironically, Quixote's insanity never really contradicts his optimism and in fact vindicates it. It is commentary on the human condition that only the insane person can actually accomplish something virtuous. And after all the delusions are expired and all the fallacies uncovered, Don Quixote actually has accomplished everything he set out to achieve if only because he was noble enough to strive for it.

A note must be made on the translations. While much of the verbiage is straightforward, there are several repeated phrases that are different between the major translations, Quixote's moniker being one of the most important. In every translation I have seen, the name has been different--"The Knight of the Rueful Countenance," "The Knight of the Mournful Countenance," and "The Knight of the Sorrowful Face" are all used for the same phrase. I enjoyed the "Rueful Countenance" and found it to be well-suited for the style of the novel though I have not read other translations.

In the end, though, you cannot go wrong. 'Don Quixote' is a pure joy to read and we are fortunate to have the ability to do so.

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Charming Classic

If you dont enjoy the classics because they are so boring and dry, then dont read any, except for Don Quixote. It is surprising not like most classics, not how you would expect a 400 year old book to be. Its very readable, with themes and personal interactions that you could find in modern novels. Its written in a slightly comedic fashion, and has many little stories within the main one. Its a pleasure to read, and in doing so you can think about the millions of people who have read exactly what you have read in each of the last four centuries.

A challenging but intellectually rewarding read (and funny too)

It took me 82 days to read this 376,580-word classic (which should be more like 1250-1500 pages instead of 972), and at times, it was frustrating. But by the end, when I read the last word, I felt a sense of loss: a companion of mine had died.

I read an extremely condensed version of Don Quixote (in Spanish) in high school, but it was nothing like the real thing. The most amazing aspect of Don Quixote is that it is a hilarious book despite being 400+ years old. The antics of Quixote and the words of his squire Sancho Panza never failed to bring a smile to my face and often resulted in out-loud laughter. And the book is, obviously, much more than a mere comedy -- upon reflection, there is a lot of mind-blowing symbolism and commentary on the human condition, which holds up just as well as the humor.

But unfortunately, some things don't hold up as well: Cervantes, through his characters, goes on long rants against various foes and literary figures that were lost on me. And while this is the first real novel in the history of the world, and thus it should be forgiven, the story is long and rambling, and where I got really frustrated is when Quixote and Sancho would meet a new character who would then go into 20-30 pages worth of life story. Sometimes, these stories were just as interesting as the Quixote/Sancho antics, but this was rare.

Irrespective of its "flaws" (I hesitate to even call them that), this is a book I feel very much better for having read. One more word of caution to prospective readers: the prologue and early sonnets were really hard for me to get through, too. I think they can be safely skipped, along with all the front matter, to be perused later. Dive right in to Chapter I and get started!

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Great classic for fun read

If you are looking to read a classic but want it to be a bit silly and not so serious, Don Quixote is for you. This book is for people looking for fun.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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