Multi-Faceted Humor in Don Quixote - 09/21/26

    When reading the translators note, I found it interesting how Grossman describes the Quixotic as "the literary mode of an absolute reality" (xxxii) because the stories of Don Quixote of La Mancha and his squire Sancho are considered to be the first novel ever written.  The characteristic of realism is a trait I wouldn't ascribe to all novels, but I agree with Grossman's ideas that the novel is the manifestation of how the author experiences reality.

    I've heard many divisive opinions on Don Quixote, some believe the text holds analytical weight, while others think it's a collection of humorous stories akin to the ones you would read a child at bedtime.  While I do believe it depends on the translation you read, I found the book to be highly entertaining.  Grossman leans into the characters (especially Don Quixote's) childlike wonder, often playing them against harsh examples of reality to augment their personality.

    My favorite moments in part I all have to do with Don Quixote's sudden decision to distort reality.  For example, in chapter 21 he decides (to Sancho's horror and distain) that a barber's basin (used to clip mens beards and such) was actually the helmet of Mambrino, which he vowed to aquire.  He then proceeds to apprehend the helmet in a against the barber's will, placing it on his head only for it to soon melt, making a fool out of Quixote.  My favorite part about this is Sancho's reactions and comments to his master's bizzare behavior.  It always seems like Sancho is waiting to comment on his ideas, saying "be careful what you say, and be more careful what you do...you wouldn't want this to be more fulling hammers that end up hammering and battering your senses".  His willingness to go alone with his master's crazy schemes makes sense when he says his philosophy is to just "shrug your shoulders, hold your breath, and let yourself go where the blanket take you" (a reference to his humiliating experience of being tossed in a blanket for failure to pay his tab at a particularly rowdy inn). 

    While I do find this book very funny, there are serious themes apparent throughout part I.  Cervantes takes a humorous attempt at explaining the variability of reality, and how one person may choose to exist completely differently than another.  Another theme I found interesting was the challenging of hierarchy, particularly by including peasants as honorable characters that mean a great deal to Quixote.  Examples of this include Sancho and his love interest Dulcinea del Toboso.

Question: What was the funniest moment/quote from the reading?