I have decided that I need to be a more well-rounded person, lierature-ly speaking. So I have picked up a copy of Edith Grossman's translation of Don Quixote and am about 150 pages into it. I have resolved that I will finish the book, which is one I've always really wanted to read. Has anyone read this book? So far, Don Quixote has only gotten his ass whooped in his search to do right. It is not clear that Cervantes ever meant this to be anything more than a parody of the fairy tale knight stories---so I want to know, does anything change? Does Don Quixote learn or grow at all in the book? Or is each chapter just another discription of the knight errant being stoned by a different person?
I read it about ten years ago when I was on my "long and historic" book trip. I hated it. It was long and pedantic. But... it's like working out: not always fun, but worth it when you're done. During that year I also polished off: Crime and Punishment [horrific] War & Peace [surprisingly good] Atlas Shrugged [one of my top five best books] The Rise & Fall of the Third Reich [good but long] If you want to read something historic and good: I suggest War & Peace or Atlas Shrugged. But if you have your heart set on Cervantes's masterpiece... well then, by all means... knock yer sox off. ~String
I think too many people read books to try to find some hidden meaning, some philosophical ideal, or other such garbage. Read the book to enjoy reading the book. If you don't enjoy it, then you should put it down and forget it for a year or two. I read the book years ago, then picked it up again only a couple of years ago. I enjoyed it both times, but much, much more the second time. Don't look for hidden meanings or other subjective, philosophical crap ...just enjoy it and let those other creeps rant on and on about what they think is the hidden meanings behind it all. I've often wondered if Cervantes is laughing his ass off in the grave?! Isaac Asimov once attended a lecture on one of his novels. When the lecturer mentioned that Asimov meant "xyz" in some passage, Asimov stood up and said, "I wrote that passage ...I didn't mean anything like that." To which the lecturer chuckled and said, "Mr Asimov, you may have written the passage, but I know what you meant ...even if you didn't!" Hmm? Baron Max
One common view of the book is that Cervantes started out with light ambitions, and then found he was on to something deeper about a third of the way through. So the author himself, by that view, changed his take on the book in the middle of it. It does change. (btw: It's not "whooped". Whomped, whupped, whipped, whopped, maybe - whooping is an entirely different activity. I know this one's lost - but damn does that grate on the ear and image. )
True enough, and I DO enjoy the book. But I just don't know that I'm up to a thousand pages of Don Quixote mistaking sheep for knights. Touche.
Why force yourself to read something that you don't want to read? If you're tired of it, put it down and try another book. Read it when you're in the mood for it. If you're reading it for classwork, get the Cliff Notes. Baron Max
Well, these are types of books we call "must read, cant finish" War and Peace is definitly worth a read. You dont like Crime and Punishment!! I found it excellent, but one cannot discuss taste. Ben, Cervantes is very difficult, the novel is over 400 years old. It is very funny, but you can feel that the genre is new to the author. Also, the novel in the more modern sense really only emerges at the beginning of the18th cebntury. It is well worth to dig into the history behind the book. Wiki has something for you there.
Maybe you're misunderstanding me---I think the book is great, and if I didn't I certainly woulnd't be reading it (I've enough other things to be reading anyway). I just want to know if it's the same thing for 1000 pages, which it seems it isn't, so I can decide if it's WORTH finishing.
To feel the pain of the Don (and Cervantes) one needs to feel the pain of reading the book in its entirety. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
bsemack--- I haven't found the book THAT intimidating---the translation that I have points out some historical notes, so I don't feel too lost. I have enjoyed it thusfar, but was just dreading another 800 pages of the same scene repeated over and over again. I probably would finish it either way---I guess I'm just not a huge fan of surprises.
I read DQ in bits and parts for that very reason. If you must improve your literature try something less ponderous to begin with; like One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
The first part of the book is him doing silly things and then the action switches to The Man™ beating him down.
Hi Ben I was just trying to help. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! If you finish, try Henry Fieldings "Tom Jones". Quiet funny, and another 900 pages of humorous adventure set in the 18th century England.
