Don Quixote de la Mancha (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (Author), E. C. Riley (Editor), Charles Jarvis (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 1998 | Series: Oxford World's Classics

Don Quixote, originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, stands as Cervantes' belated but colossal literary success. A work which has achieved mythic status, it is considered to have pioneered the modern novel. Don Quixote, a poor gentleman from La Mancha, Spain, entranced by the code of chivalry, seeks romantic honor through absurd and fantastic adventures. His fevered imagination turns everyday objects into heroic opponents and stepping stones to greater glory; each exploit serves as a comic, yet disturbing commentary on the psychological struggle between reality and illusion, fact and fiction. This celebrated translation by Charles Jarvis offers a new introduction and notes which provide essential background information.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-7-This retelling of episodes from the Cervantes classic starts a little slowly, but the pace picks up considerably once the proverb-spouting Sancho Panza makes his appearance. Harrison selects only a few key adventures; the afterword describes the sections that were left out. His language captures the style of the original, and the transitions are generally smooth. The afterword recommends a translation of the whole book and provides biographical information about the author. Ambrus's artwork is well suited to the story; he captures the personalities of both knight and squire without reducing them to caricatures. Glowing watercolors alternate with either black-and-white sketches or silhouettes. The oversized format with its clear type and good use of white space is appropriate to the folk-tale style, although it may not appeal to older readers. While there is debate about the appropriateness of retelling (or abridging) classics, there is also an audience for them, and Harrison's offering treats the original with respect.?Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A very attractive, flexibly-bound edition, more inviting than others."--John H. Wilson, Dakota Weslyan University

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1120 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Trade edition (October 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192834835
• ISBN-13: 978-0192834836
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #682,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a multi-layered treat, and worth the time investment!, November 25, 2000

By 

Melissa Bach (Rockport, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don Quixote de la Mancha (Oxford World's Classics) (Hardcover)

I took the time to read both volumes of Don Quixote, starting at the end of this past summer, and just finishing up in mid-November, and even better, in the New Century Library version, lovely old leather bound books with gold ribbons for markers. I didn't read it straight; it was interspersed with many other books on my stack.

Oh my. What a satisfying read. Of course you are familiar with the basic premise of this book, the mad Don Quixote tilting after windmills, his faithful squire Sancho Panza at his side and always on the lookout for a good meal. What I was not prepared for, and was totally delighted by, were the many and varied side stories, the topsy turvy relationship between madness and sanity (and who is which, anyway?), the wisdom of Sancho Panza as Governor (at long last!) of his very own island, and the surreal relationship between the narrator, the author, and the narrated.

This is a complex work, and could be discussed with many different themes in mind--idealism vs. pragmatism, honesty vs. duplicity, madness vs. sanity, the follies of the rich vs. the follies of the poor. Chivalry. Romantic love. Storytelling. Renunciation. The Quest. Devotion. Class structure. Religious persecution.

The only thing that bothered me about this book was that everybody was endlessly enchanted and ready to give the benefit of the doubt to beautiful young men and women, that beauty in this book equaled virtue and a kind heart, a small complaint indeed regarding this masterpiece.

If you've already read this book, this is just preaching to the choir. But if you're trying to decide whether or not to take the time, the answer is yes, yes and yes! You won't regret it, and your heart and soul will thank you.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Absolute Classic, September 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Don Quixote de la Mancha (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

Possibly the greatest novel of all time.

Every human soul should be required to read this at least once in his/her lifetime.

What blew me away is how 'modern' it is. Written in the early 1600's, Cervantes (via Don and Sancho) pontificates without end on how "today's" society has lost its will, its moral fiber, its work ethic, its lack of respect for things like....chivalry.

The Ingenious Man of LaMancha, the Knight of the Sorrowful Figure, is a man for all times. His 'madness' is, quite truly, a 'madness' of which we could all benefit.

Long? Yes. Lots of divergent/side stories? Yes. What great work doesn't answer 'yes' to both.

And, yeah, it's funny too.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars silly, serious, funny, tragic, exciting, tedious and sad, July 28, 2003

By 

asphlex "asphlex" (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don Quixote de la Mancha (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

I adored this book. Very long, at times very slow, Don Quixote basically tells us that the noble delusions of a madman can create a far more satisfying example of life than the bleak, grounded and urgently seriously expectations of scholars, the religious and politically minded as well as the everyday drone who keeps a tight reign on what they will allow themselves to believe.

Don Quixote himself (as so many other reviewers either trumpet and proclaim or allow themselves to admit) is a flat out wonderful creation; a man so clearly out of his mind and yet one we cannot help but root for and hope to be never disuaded from his insanity, that he becomes something of an aspiration for all of us dreamers and imaginative souls. Here is a man who believes on in good, in what is noble and decent (let us ignore the occasional lapses into seeming intolerance, taking the early 17th century into account and contrast that with both Don Quixote's treatment of the so-called scourge as well as the identity of the fictitious author of this work within the work) and in an essential love for all of humanity. None of us--and that includes no one--can ever hope to even reflect the nobility of this grand character. His truth, filled with wizards and monsters and dreams coming true, is more like a place we all wish we could be than the sad and head-wagging tragedy it might be in our own realities. This book is a thing of beauty, a hope screaming in a bottomless well of scorned dreams that make up all of our lives and to condemn such flights of fancy and such obvious ranting lunacy makes one resemble the sad, defeated figure at the end of this book. The lesson to be learned is that once we give up on our dreams, all that is left is death.

Recommended very highly. The length should not intimidate or put one off as it is a quick-paced narrative filled with adventures and excitement and all told with a cool-headed satirical view. Give it a chance and do not take anything like logistical errors and clear and obvious mistakes to heart as Cervantes was wise enough to catch himself later on and comment on all the misunderstandings that any academic and humorless mind might see fit to whine about and then tell that person they are a fool because they cannot relate to the Don's point of view.