1. In Don Quixote, Cervantes goes out of his way to make a point that the “story” was based on true facts and events when in fact it was not. Why do you think he does this? What is he trying to do to/for the reader by suggesting this? (Keep in mind that even as he says it is true, he is making us aware of the fact that it is not. So his point was NOT to make us actually think it was a true story!)
2. Chapter 8 is one of the funniest and most often referenced parts of the book. How does Don Quixote and the events of Chapter 8 reveal Cervante’s purpose of “satirizing the romances of chivalry”? In other words, how is he making fun of the classic tales of the heroic knight.
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“Every man has a right to his opinions, but no man has a right to be wrong in his facts” is a famous quote by Barnard Baruch . Don Quixote is a novel written by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. It was first published in two parts in 1605 and 1615. According to Bonati (2019), the story follows the adventures of a man named Alonso Quixano, who becomes so enamoured with the chivalric romances that he reads that he decides to become a knight-errant and sets out on a series of adventures with his loyal squire, Sancho Panza. Bonati (2019) also states that the novel is set in a fictional version of medieval Spain and follows the story of a man who, driven by his love for chivalry, sets out to revive the glory of the past. Quixote, as he calls himself, is convinced that he is a knight and that it is his duty to right wrongs and defend the helpless. He sets out on his adventures with his loyal squire Sancho Panza, who acts as a comic relief and a voice of reason throughout the novel. One of the most striking aspects of Don Quixote is how Cervantes uses the character of Quixote to satirize the popular chivalric romances of his time Bonati (2019). Quixote’s delusions of grandeur and his misguided attempts at heroism are a commentary on the unrealistic and idealized view of chivalry that was prevalent in the literature of the time. Cervantes uses Quixote as a lens through which to examine the nature of reality, and the novel can be seen as a critique of how people can be influenced by the stories they read or hear. This paper discusses why Cervantes goes out of his way to make a point that the story was based on true facts and events when it was not and how Don Quixote and the events of Chapter 8 reveal Cervantes’s purpose of “satirizing the romances of chivalry.
One reason Miguel de Cervantes goes out of his way to suggest that the story is based on true facts and events when it is not is to challenge the reader’s perception of what is real and what is not. This is an interesting literary technique that Cervantes uses to point out to the reader the nature of storytelling and the relationship between fiction and reality. Mihalova (2022) states that Cervantes might have done this to challenge the reader’s perception of what is real and what is not. Throughout the novel, Quixote’s delusions and misperceptions of reality are a central theme, and by suggesting that the story is based on true events, Cervantes invites the reader to question their understanding of reality. By doing this, he encourages the reader to be more critical of the stories they hear and read and to question the reliability of the sources of information. Thus, one reason Miguel de Cervantes goes out of his way to suggest that the story is based on true facts and events, when in fact it is not, is to challenge the reader’s perception of what is real and what is not.
Another reason Miguel de Cervantes goes out of his way to suggest that the story is based on facts and events when it is not is to comment on the nature of storytelling itself. According to Richmond (2018), in the 17th century, the chivalric romances that Quixote is so enamored with were widely popular but were often criticized for their unrealistic and idealized portrayal of reality. By suggesting that his own story is true, Cervantes makes a statement about the relationship between fiction and reality and how stories can shape our understanding of the world. Thus, another reason Miguel de Cervantes goes out of his way to suggest that the story is based on true facts and events when it is not is to comment on the nature of storytelling itself.
Don Quixote and the events of Chapter 8 reveal Cervantes’s purpose of “satirizing the romances of chivalry. According to Burningham (2020), the events of Chapter 8 reveal Cervantes’ purpose of satirizing the romances of chivalry by highlighting the absurdity of Don Quixote’s belief that he is a real-life knight and his insistence on living by the code of chivalry. The scene in which Don Quixote insists on fighting the actor playing the knight of the Mirrors, despite being outnumbered and outmatched, is a prime example of this absurdity. Secondly, Cervantes uses the play within the chapter to satirize the romances of chivalry themselves (Burningham, 2020). The play is a parody of the typical romance story, with exaggerated and ridiculous characters and events that reveal the absurdity of the genre. This serves to mock the genre and the people who take these stories seriously. According to Burningham (2020), Cervantes also satirizes how the romances of chivalry were often used to justify the actions of the nobility, who often acted in unjust and cruel ways. He does this by showing how Don Quixote’s delusions of chivalry lead him to act in ways that are hurtful to others and, ultimately, lead to his downfall. Thus, Cervantes uses the character of Don Quixote and the events of Chapter 8 to satirize the romances of chivalry.
In conclusion, by suggesting that his story is true, Cervantes uses irony and satire to question the reliability of the romances of chivalry, challenge the reader’s perception of reality and truth, and highlight the power of imagination and fiction. He encourages the readers to think more critically about the stories they are reading and the world around them. The author shows that the line between fiction and truth is not always clear, and that both can shape our understanding of the world. Cervantes uses the character of Don Quixote and the events of Chapter 8 to satirize the romances of chivalry by highlighting the absurdity of Don Quixote‘s belief that he is a knight-errant, using the play within the chapter to mock the genre of romance stories and showing how the romances of chivalry were often used to justify unjust and cruel actions of the nobility. In Don Quixote, by making the reader aware that the story is not true, Cervantes also highlights the power of fiction to shape our understanding of the world. He is showing that even though the events in the story are not real, they can still profoundly impact how we see the world.
Burningham, B. R. (2020). Don Quixote and the Rise of Cyberorality. Millennial Cervantes: New Currents in Cervantes Studies, 225.
Martínez-Bonati, F. (2019). ” Don Quixote” and the Poetics of the Novel. Cornell University Press.
Mihaylova, S. (2022). Analysis of Two Bulgarian Translations of the Poem Don Quixote.
Richmond, V. B. (2018). McFarland. Don Quixote as Children’s Literature: A Tradition in English Words and Pictures.