My running commentary on Quixote

Ch.1-3

I haven't any experience with this text...

Do we have a fool here, beginning this story? A man, who abandons his estate to become a knight based off of his story books?

Helmet scene-quite funny. I wonder how he can hold an iron helmet on his head. Sounds heavy.
His methods of self-protection seem rather superficial, and it makes me wonder how serious he is.

Names: Rocinante-the hack, and Don Quixote Of La Mancha, and Dulcinea del Toboso, his lady.

He is off, telling no-one what he is up to, letting his horse choose the way. This sounds like so much fun! It's like going on a road trip, with no particular direction, no responsibilities, and a world of possibilities...But it is also a set up for ridiculousness.

Ooops, small problem. He is not yet a knight.

His first adventure...An Inn disguised as a castle, two prostitutes as princesses! This scene reminds me of Les Miserables, the sneaky Inn Keeper, and company.

Alazon-impostor.

The dinner scene is a complete comedy, helmet on, yet Quixote refuses to cut the ribbons. Irony of a knight in shining armor. He is nothing of the sort. He cannot even eat without help.

This might be completely odd, but I just had a brief image of Don Quixote as a farce on Jesus. He is wandering around, determined to save mankind, he treats prostitutes with respect, and he promises to serve everyone, no matter how lowly they are. Just a thought.

His first duel-he knocks the carrier out.

I just lost all of my notes on ch. 4!! shoot!

Ch. 5

• DQ quotes lines from his books in an attempt to get up from his armor.
  
• Peasant gets DQ on a horse and leads him to town, sad that DQ is mad.
• Taken home where friends/ family are looking for him.  They want to burn his books (like heretics)

Ch. 6

• Crown in DQ's house, sprinkling holy water on books, to protect from evil spirits.
• A very strange way of censorship; books are thrown for any reason, but then some are kept (basically if they have been read).
• DQ's niece claims that after they cure DQ of his obsession of knights, he may wander the hillsides from reading poetry.  Or worst-become a poet!!
• Miguel de Cervantes puts his own book in this chapter! "That Cervantes has been for many years a great friend of mine, and to my knowledge he has had more experience in reverses than in verses. His book has some good invention in it, it presents us with something but brings nothing to a conclusion: we must wait for the Second Part it promises: perhaps with amendment it may succeed in winning the full measure of grace that is now denied it; and in the mean time do you, senor gossip, keep it shut up in your own quarters."
• Finally they tire of throwing books out the window.  Are they going to have a change of heart, I wonder? "I should have shed tears myself," said the curate when he heard the
  title, "had I ordered that book to be burned, for its author was one
  of the famous poets of the world, not to say of Spain, and was very
  happy in the translation of some of Ovid's fables."

Ch. 7

• Just to point out the obvious, the curator (also called the licentiate) and the barber (Nicholas) are interesting choices of people to censor books. (housekeeper and niece, Antonia)
• licentiate
• curator
• barber
• The use of word gossip. Does it mean close friend? 
• Cruel solution: to wall up and plaster the book room. Poor DQ!
• Believes that Friston, a literary magician took his books and plots against him.
• Sancho Panza leaves wife and children to be DQ's esquire.
• DQ promises SP that he will be governor of a province.

Ch. 8

• DQ attacks windmill but imagines it a giant.  Accuses Friston of trickery.
• DQ has been fasting for awhile now.
• DQ attacks two friars.  SP tries to rob one friar, but gets beat up.  DQ fights a Biscayan who uses a pillow for a shield. Fight is left unresolved

Ch. 9

• Story takes a strange turn, dealing with lost works and translation.
  
• I am beginning to see why this book was chosen for this class.
  
• Farce on historians
  

Ch. 10 (After the first fight with SP, the one where two friars were attacked)

• It seems ironic that DQ feels no regret for hurting other people in the name of knightly hood.
  
• DQ tells of his magic potion, and SP gives up his claim on land for the potion
• SP worries about cost of making the potion- total realist
• The realist (SP) cannot read or write...therefore he obeys the well-read romantic (DQ)

Ch.11

• SP has a great dialogue for someone who is illiterate.
• DQ is a jerk.  He forces SP to sit below him to eat, when SP clearly would rather stand.
• Beautiful prose in this chapter!
• A simple acorn caused DQ to remember the golden age, hence the prose. 
• I wonder if the cure that the goat herder gave DQ and SP will be remembered by DQ! 

Ch. 12

• Yes! Paganism, rituals, scandal and passion.
• Pretty funny that the young intellectuals became pious right before the rich, religious father died and left everything to them.
• DQ has a great imagination with everything except the misuse of words.
• The story of Marcela was fabulous! I might name my next daughter after her.

Ch. 13-17

• DQ's insistence that all knights have a lady is just absurd, especially since his is made up. Also, DQ never even calls to his lady while entering battle.  
• The writings of the broken hearted Chrysostom are saved. Hurrah!
• I'm curious about Marcela and the myths operating around her. My first instinct is that of the Greek Goddess, Artemis.
• Of coarse, DQ is a selfish jerk again, and takes SP's mule after yet another stupid fight.
• The confusing sex scene, where one enters the wrong bed in the dark, which Shakespeare has done many times, is hilarious.

Ch. 18

• Poor SP. After DQ almost kills him again, he is forced to travel, but is instead beat up again. It does seem that SP is beginning to understand his predicament a little better.
• DQ has now lost an ear, and all his molars. SP has lost is saddlebags. 
• This book almost frustrating to read.