Don Quixote
1605 and 1615 novel by Miguel de Cervantes
1605 and 1615 novel by Miguel de Cervantes
Don Quijote de la Mancha is a novel composed of two parts [5][6], whose full original title is Don Quijote de la Mancha [1]. It opens with the now-famous line in which the narrator declines to name the precise village in La Mancha where the story begins [9]. The work spans the genres of chivalric romance, adventure fiction, parody, and found manuscript [10], and has been described and referenced by a range of encyclopedic sources over the centuries [11].
The plot follows Alonso Quijano, a low-ranking hidalgo from La Mancha who, having immersed himself in chivalric romances, resolves to become the knight-errant Don Quixote de la Mancha in order to revive chivalry and serve his nation [3]. He is accompanied by his squire, the earthy and plain-spoken farm labourer Sancho Panza, whose cast of mind contrasts markedly with Don Quixote's idealism [3]. Other notable characters include Rocinante, Dulcinea, and Dorotea, among others [12].
As the narrative unfolds, the two central figures subtly influence each other: scholar Salvador de Madariaga observed a gradual "Sanchification" of Don Quixote and a corresponding "Quixotization" of Sancho, as illusion and reality trade places between them [4]. The work has inspired numerous derivative works across multiple art forms [2].
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