Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes discussion

This schedule is subject to change, but I am thinking I'd like to keep the reading schedule fairly surmountable (so that even if one were to fall behind, it is conceivable he or she would be able to catch up). So how about a slow, even pace of 2 chapters per day? There are 126 chapters in Don Quixote so this would work out to about 9 weeks, or just longer than 2 months. I would like to start in mid-January and finish by the end of March. Hopefully this works out well for others?

Again, this is only a guideline. People should feel comfortable reading at their own paces, but here is what I am thinking:

Week 1: Part I, Chapters 1–13
Week 2: Part I, Chapters 14–26
Week 3: Part I, Chapters 27–39
Week 4: Part I, Chapters 40–52

Week 5: Part II, Chapters 1–15
Week 6: Part II, Chapters 16–30
Week 7: Part II, Chapters 31–45
Week 8: Part II, Chapters 46–60
Week 9: Part II, Chapters 61–74

If we start a month from today, on or around January 13, 2014, we'd finish by March 16, 2014. So, this would be the breakdown of timing:

13 Jan – 19 Jan (Week 1)
20 Jan – 26 Jan (Week 2)
27 Jan – 02 Feb (Week 3)
03 Feb – 09 Feb (Week 4)

10 Feb – 16 Feb (Week 5)
17 Feb – 23 Feb (Week 6)
24 Feb – 02 Mar (Week 7)
03 Mar – 09 Mar (Week 8)
10 Mar – 16 Mar (Week 9)

And then we can celebrate with a cerveza on St. Patrick's Day. (The Irish won't mind!)

This starts Monday!

Yay, I'm super excited, Jason! I'm looking forward to the group's insight and unique perceptions. Hopefully my copy will show up fairly soon.

I'm ready!

I'm so happy to have you with us, Mary!!

Thanks, Dustin! This should be a fun read.

You're welcome. My slightly used copy arrived yesterday, so I'm ready to go! I think it'll be a fun read, too. I'm almost not daunted by its very long length.. Which edition do you have? I picked up a Penguin Classic, circa 2000.

I'm going to read the Grossman translation. I believe I have the Penguin Classic in ebook, too...

Nice!! Grossman looks like a beautiful edition!

Just saw this - I'm 85% of the way thru, and have been very interested in what others think about this book, which I've long wanted to read. I am actually listening to the audio version during my commutes, etc, and making good progress now after setting it aside for a few weeks. I'm not sure what to make of the duke and duchess who enjoy DQ and Sancho's company but also amuse themselves with him. I've also looked at various literary reviews to see what others have said about the book. In part I think the book is so well regarded because it is a seminal novel so the genius of Cervantes is clear in that respect. But what should we make of all the tales within the tales, and the conceit that DQ and SP's story has been published so they are known wherever they go in the second half.

The duke and duchess can go fuck themselves. They have no interest in DQ's or Sancho's well being and are only out to amuse themselves at their expense. I think they are the worst characters (from a moral standpoint) in the novel.

I agree about DQ's seminality. But to me, the tales within the tale were purely about entertainment value. I don't think they necessarily conveyed any deeper meaning or anything, though I'm sure there would be people who would disagree with me on that.

Also, the self-referential stuff in DQ is brilliant, isn't it? It calls out the real-life issues Cervantes had with his work being "hijacked" by an anonymous writer who continued the story where Cervantes left off after Part I without his permission, while still keeping the story framed over the character of DQ we've come to know and love. I thought that was done really well. There are a lot of post-modern writers NOW who have tried that sort of thing and failed, in my opinion.

I found the self referential stuff fantastic as well. Cervantes's handling of the false Quixote was great. Also, the side stories to me were a great diversion—but then again, I'm kind of a sucker for frame stories. So, I dug the Cervantes writing as Cide Hamete, etc. stuff as well. The duke and duchess were definitely a low point in their exploitation of Don Quixote and Sancho, but their adventures provided some solid entertainment, despite being at our protagonists' expense.

I agree with everything in #15. I don't think the story would have been better without the duke and duchess; I just think they're evil characters, but in a way that adds to the story's depth, not take away from it.