Don Quixote is a seminal text that gives rise to both the realistic and the self-conscious novel. Published by Miguel de Cervantes in two parts--1605 and 1615--it weaves a story of a man obsessed with a world and a time lost to him. Deluded by tales of chivalry, Alonso Quixano dons an antiquated suit of armor, mounts a bedraggled horse, employs a pudgy peasant squire, and sets off on a grand adventure of enlightenment and heartache as -Don Quixote de La Mancha.- The book is at once a study of the nature of humanity and of the production and consumption of fiction. Don Quixote has been...

The conclusion to Cervantes' masterpiece, Don Quijote. Don Quixote is a seminal text that gives rise to both the realistic and the self-conscious novel. Published by Miguel de Cervantes in two parts--1605 and 1615--it weaves a story of a man obsessed with a world and a time lost to him. Deluded by tales of chivalry, Alonso Quixano dons an antiquated suit of armor, mounts a bedraggled horse, employs a pudgy peasant squire, and sets off on a grand adventure of enlightenment and heartache as "Don Quixote de La Mancha." The book is at once a study of the nature of humanity and of the production...