Reading 1001 discussion

Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

2018, Quarterly Read, post reviews here.

I read this several years ago, 2012. I wasn't fully engaged. There were parts that were very fun. It is a classic and I probably would benefit if I read it again.

I gave this one 4 stars. I really enjoyed the both send-up and tribute to the medieval chivalric romance, and the way it kind of set up the future "buddy cop", "superhero and sidekick", and on the road stories.

It still holds up as a pretty good comedy, and I especially enjoyed the poem where Don Quixote adds "de Toboso" after all his stanzas about his desired lady Dulcinea which totally throws off the flow and makes his audience secretly mock him. This kind of repetition joke would still play well in a youtube video. His idealistic but silly altered perceptions what sort of enchanting and daring events they go through is also a joy.

My sister LOVES these old texts, but apparently I am just not into them. Ugh. I may read this one again after a few years, to see if it appeals more to me as I get older and have finished more books, but this year this was a tedious read for me. There are some scenes I did enjoy, and Don Quixote is at least readable all the way through, unlike some books on the List. Certainly I liked this book more than I liked Ulysses (which I HATED) and Underworld (which was rather forgettable). I think my attention really started to wander when the narrative switched to 'reading a novel' and was no longer even about Don Quixote for quite a while.
I gave Don Quixote 3 stars on Goodreads. I am glad I finished it this time, at least.