There's a book . . . written by Miguel de Cervantes in 1605 and 1615 . . . Don Quixote de La Mancha . . . that has been in my pile of "books to read" for years. I've started it several times, but it's one of those books that requires full and constant attention . . . it was translated from Spanish to English. The title in Spanish is El Ingenioso Hidalgo don Quixote de la Mancha which really translates to "The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha."
Considered one of the most influential works of literature from the Spanish Golden Age, it regularly appears on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published . . . has made contributions to the modern Spanish language.
It's a romantic story . . . not in the sense of "romance" in the world of love . . . but the story of a man who's read so many stories of chivalry that he sets out to REVIVE chivalry . . . to right all of the wrongs . . . bring justice to the world . . . and in the process loses his sanity. He renames himself Don Quixote de la Mancha and recruits a farmer as his squire who uses a unique, earthy wit in dealing with Don Quixote's rhetorical orations on antiquated knighthood. Don chooses to see the world as he imagines it to be . . . living out his knightly story!
We "romanticize" a lot of things: knights, pirates, native peoples, cowboys, aliens . . . simply said, we have a tendency to see some things as we WANT to see them . . . not as they really were. I tell people I'm a pirate, but I'd certainly never rape, pillage, and plunder . . . I just want to sail around dressed like one . . . singing sea shanties and drinking rum! Pirates were thieves, murderers, rapists, kidnappers . . .
. . . and aliens aren't real!
The movie came out in 1972, and we got to see it. Probably because we were living in Spain, and my mom thought it relevant. The movie, however, is just an excerpt from the entire story. I inherited her copy of the book a couple of years ago . . . she thought it important that I read it too.
I suppose the reason this came up is two-fold:
1. Chivalry seems to have taken a vacation in today's world. From Merriam - Webster:
And
2. The song from the movie pops up from time to time in my head:
It's a simple concept really . . . one I'd like for you to hold on to . . . be a good man Tommy. Be gallant, and strong, and brave, and dedicated . . . courteous . . . kind! And always, always reach for that unreachable star!!
Oh yeah . . . I forgot to mention . . . Don Quixote sees windmills as dragons . . . like real creatures . . . and he fights them! His family was quite embarrassed by his seemingly psychotic actions. I, on the other hand, love Don Quixote!
"Some say that the age of chivalry is past, that the spirit of romance is dead. The age of chivalry is never past, so long as there is a wrong left unredressed on earth." ~ Charles Kingsley
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