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Don Quijote (Norton Critical Editions) First Edition
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The text reprinted here is based on award-winning translator Burton Raffel’s masterful translation of Don Quijote, which is consistent, fluid, and modeled closely on the original Spanish.
"Backgrounds and Context" invites readers to explore the creative process that culminated in the publication of Don Quijote. Included are selections from works parodied by Cervantes (Amadis of Gaul and Orlando Furioso) and a portion of the spurious sequel to Part 1 written by Fernándes de Avellaneda."Criticisms" presents fifteen major interpretations of both the novel and selected episodes, describing Cervantes’ intellectual milieu, revealing how he infused new life into the literary modes and motifs he had inherited, and illustrating the fundamental importance of Don Quijote in the history of modern fiction.
- ISBN-10039397281X
- ISBN-13978-0393972818
- EditionFirst Edition
- PublisherW. W. Norton & Company
- Publication dateJanuary 17, 1999
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions5.7 x 1 x 9.2 inches
- Print length880 pages
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About the Author
Burton Raffel is Distinguished Professor of Humanities at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Emeritus. He is the translator of many works, including Gargantua and Pantagruel (awarded the French-American Foundation Translation Prize), Pere Goriot, Beowulf, and the five romances of Chrétien de Troyes.
Product details
- Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company; First Edition (January 17, 1999)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 880 pages
- ISBN-10 : 039397281X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0393972818
- Item Weight : 1.46 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.7 x 1 x 9.2 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,050,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,062 in Classic American Literature
- #23,639 in Classic Literature & Fiction
- #47,615 in Literary Fiction (Books)
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Cervantes did not write Don Quijote to please literary critics or scholars. He makes that clear in the prologue, where he skewers them. He was writing for Everyman. The Underdog. Joe Blow. The common guy… blue collar workers.
Well, guess what. That’s me.
I’m not a scholar specializing in 17th century Spanish literature. I’m just some middle class guy in the U.S. pushing 50 who has never read the famous Don Quijote. And even though there was a time when I was translating between English and Spanish on a daily basis, and actually dreaming in Spanish, it’s not my first language. So not only am I Joe Blow, but I’m Joe Blow once removed, digging into an English translation of a Spanish masterpiece.
Given that, Burton Raffel is the translator for me. His language is clear and his footnotes are opening doors of understanding that would have remained closed to me anywhere else.
On page 20, for example, Raffel’s footnote is, “Don Quijote recites the first two lines of a poem from a popular sixteenth-century romance; the innkeeper responds with the next two lines.” When I read this same passage from another edition without the footnote, I had no idea that the innkeeper was playing a game with Quijote… an old-school version of ‘quoting song lyrics from the same song.’ Suddenly I understand more about the innkeeper, more about the relationship between the two, and more about Quijote and the power of his delusions.
Raffel’s insights help me to see the inside joke again on page 26, where Don Quijote bestows upon the prostitutes the honorable title of “Doña,” and the footnotes explain: “Don Quijote tries to ennoble these prostitutes, whose lineage does not entitle them to the honorific title of ‘Doña.’ His aristocratic address, however, ironically coincides with the practice of ‘real life’ Spanish Renaissance prostitutes.”
A scholar focusing on the period would know that. A native Spanish speaker familiar with the times would probably know that. I did not know that, but Raffel draws back the curtain so I, too, can take a peek behind the scenes… Even a guy like ME is invited to the party.
Cervantes was not writing to be elitist; rather, he was poking fun at elitism, and in doing so, he was reaching out to the masses. My judgment is that Raffel’s approach carries on this spirit of reaching out to Everyman by shining light on what might remain obscured or lost in translation. Knowing as little as I do about the chivalric romances of the 1600’s and of Spanish literature in general, I get the feeling as I read Cervantes for the first time that he, the author, is sitting to my left, Raffel to my right, and I’m in the middle, turning the pages with a grin on my face. And every now and again, as Cervantes is laughing his head off and I’m trying to figure out why, Raffel reaches over, points to a phrase, and explains it to me in words I can understand.
Raffel helps Cervantes bring me to a deeper understanding of myself.
So if Spanish literature happens to be your passion, your specialty, your career, you may not appreciate Raffel's translation the way I do. You may find other editions more satisfying. But whether or not others throw stones at Raffel's work, I can tell you it's precisely the right version for me.
We both knew we should have read this classic in our school days, but I expect it is more enjoyable now in the experience of our middle and senior ages. This edition of the text offers direct assistance to a first reader and fewer academic trappings to annoy us, long from the classroom or even those rushing to a teacher's deadline. The translator's usage and introduction remind us why this is a great book and help us enjoy it.
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Reviewed in India on August 30, 2020






