Old days should have been much better to live, I hope. Meanwhile, I know that this is a foolish hope. Yet, why I hope so is because of the kind of art that was produced in those lost times. Currently, this thought is inspired in me by the story of Don Quixote. I remember, as a small boy, as small as ten years old or so, reading an abridged comic book illustrating the story of Don Quixote, a person, thin and fragile, in his fifties, who, after reading so many heroic stories of knights, becomes insane and deluded to think that he was a knight, too. Perhaps, he must have been bored of the ordinary country life he used to be going through. He sets forth to travel around the world and foolishly reacts to everything he comes across. And, in all his thoughtless endeavours, he fails. But he believes that he succeeded in every situation and defeated everyone who fought with him. I am trying to recollect how my mind was reacting to this fabulous story. Interestingly, I was very confused; at that age, I was unable to make out why a person should behave like that. In the story, he sets forth to many heroic actions but ends up as a fool. I was confused if he was a hero or a comic character. Hero should not fail, right?
The following picture was included in the comic book I read. It illustrates Don Quixote, going mad, while reading a book. Look at the characters his imagination creates around him! In my childhood, my mind was stuck with it. Even now, looking at it, I feel some mystic sensation within.
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Don Quixote going insane, by Gustave Doré. (The photo is from wikimedia
resources and is in the public domain.) |
As a grown up, I understand what the author, Cervantes, was trying to tell us. Besides, particularly after joining for Ph.D., I feel like Don Quixote! Have I set myself to a task, without much thinking and preparation? Is this true in the case of my decision to get married before finishing my Ph.D.? Truly speaking, I want to find out if Don Quixote had inspired me and, if yes, how. I had procured the unabridged version (of course, translated to English from Spanish) of the book five years ago, but haven't started reading yet. It is very big, probably with 600 pages or more. I think I must read it in the near future.
I remember that according to Kundera (in his collection of essays "Testaments Betrayed", if my memoery is correct) Cervantes's Don Quixote marks the beginning of modern age. According to him, Cervantes is the father of modern age, quite contrary to the popular entitlement of Descartes as the father of modern age and rationality. Need to read those essays again if I need to recall the exact reasons.
ReplyDeleteProbably your reading of Don Quixote should reveal any explanation for the same.
Also, though I have not read the work, I use this word, "quixotic" very often in my spoken English. I think I like that word very much because it has some match with my personality. For me, to do anything seriously is something romantic or dreamy; quixotic to be exact...!
Dictionary meanings of 'quixotic'
1. ( sometimes initial capital letter ) resembling or befitting Don Quixote.
2.extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable.
3.impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.