Don Quixote de La Mancha is a work written by the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes e Saavedra (1547-1616).
It is a satire on ancient chivalric novels, considered one of the greatest works of Spanish literature and a classic of universal literature.
The book, released in 1605, inaugurated the modern novel and today has many versions translated into numerous languages.
The original title is “The Ingenious Nobleman Don Quixote of La Mancha” (El ingenioso Fidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, in Spanish).
Don Quixote is a knight-errant, named by Sancho as “Knight of the Sad Figure”. This is because it is not beautiful and driven by its “madness” it always ends up going wrong.
The story recounts the deeds of a naive and noble medieval knight, Don Quixote. Next to him are his horse Rocinante and his faithful friend and squire: Sancho Panza.
An avid reader of chivalric romances, Don Quixote creates his own world by embarking on various adventures.
He goes in search of justice and his beautiful imaginary maiden (Dulcineia de Toboso), just as they used to do in chivalric novels.
The novel tells the stories and adventures experienced by Quixote and his companion in the Spanish regions: La Mancha, Aragon and Catalonia.
The great humorous value of such passages is found between the fantasies and madness of its protagonist and the harsh reality experienced.
In the midst of his “madness”, Quixote fights battles with windmills (which he imagined were giants). Furthermore, he fights against the “army of sheep” (which results in a beating from the shepherds of the flock).
The novel ends when Don Quixote returns to the “real world”, that is, when he returns home and realizes that there are no heroes in the world.
