If Wesleyan University’s professor, Cecilia Miller, knew what I did today, she would be floored. Today I celebrated the 400th anniversary of the publishing of Miguel Cervantes’ “Don Quixote.” And, if you are anything like my younger sister, you are probably shaking your head and thinking: this kid needs to get out more. As a student in Professor Miller’s Intellectual History Class, I was forced to read the 988 pages of “Don Quixote.” Amidst silent protest, I sacrificed what appeared to be an eternity— seven days actually— to read what is heralded as the world’s first novel.
In “Don Quixote,” the protagonist, an avid reader of books on Knight Errantry, becomes delusional, believing he is a knight. Quixote is accompanied by his sidekick Sancho, who is induced to travel with Quixote by desires for riches. Quixote’s mental disposition provided much needed comic relief for the 988 pages journey. In his travels, windmills are mistaken for giant brutes, sheep are thought to be attacking armies, and slaves are oppressed gentlemen. Such a portrayal of Quixote has, over 400 years, enriched the English lexicon. Today, the word ‘quixotic“ means to thrive with lofty enthusiasms, ”titling at windmills,“ or attacking imaginary enemies. Such a contribution to the English language could not have been envisioned by Cervantes while writing the novel.
However, ”Don Quixote“ is not simply a novel; it is a political novel, a socio-political critique or commentary written in a manner to appeal to the masses. Four hundred years since its publishing, one can still draw references from it for use in modern social commentary. As an example, some have found ”quixotic,“ the administration’s hunt for weapons of mass destruction— our modern-day windmills? Others have also found quixotic Tom DeLay’s belief that he is the guardian of our faith, and that the security of such faith rests in the destruction of the big bad judiciary.
As for me, I find it apropos that the 400th anniversary of Cervantes’ work, which was described as a veiled critique of the Catholic Church, arrived during the passing of the Pope. Pope John Paul II, an ardent advocate of the of the virtues of the Virgin Mary, beatified Pope Pius IX who in 1854 issued the Bull Ineffabilis which proclaimed the Virgin Mary as ”exempt from all stain of original sin.“
Don Quixote was also a devotee of the Virgin Mary. In one adventure, Quixote confronts a holy procession. Upon seeing villagers carrying what Sancho called ”the most blessed image of the spotless Virgin,“ Quixote attempts to ”rescue“ it, declaring the he would free ”this good lady who is being borne off captive.“ What this passage may have offered as guidance to the cardinals at the latest conclave, this column’s page constraint cannot accommodate.
What I can offer is deep gratitude to Professor Miller for making me read ”Don Quixote.“ I often describe the process of reading the 988 pages as medicine, I did not like taking it, but it proved to be very good for me.
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