Don Quixote

by Miguel de Cervantes

Having absorbed too many tales of chivalry, Don Quixote decides to live as a wandering knight. He brings Sancho Panza along as his squire and sets out through Spain, ready to interpret whatever they meet as an opportunity for heroism.

Adventure Classic comedy Picaresque Parody Situational comedy

From the publisher’s blurb

“With its experimental form and literary playfulness, this classic is generally recognized as the first modern novel.”

Read the full description at Penguin Random House, publisher description

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What makes it funny?

Sancho can explain exactly how a windmill works: the sails turn in the wind and drive the millstone. His master hears none of it. Don Quixote sees a field of giants, issues a challenge and rides straight at the machinery.

The comedy at work

The pair can look at the same thing and find themselves in different stories. Don Quixote supplies the grand language and duties of chivalric romance; Sancho keeps trying to identify what is actually in front of them. Physical mishaps repeatedly test the knight’s account.

Try this if…

An episodic journey for readers who enjoy arguments between traveling companions and heroes whose favorite stories have become a dangerous guide to life. The jokes include practical objections to lofty speeches as well as physical slapstick.

Good to know

Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615. Check the translator when choosing an English edition: the cited Penguin paperback uses John Rutherford, while the free Gutenberg text uses John Ormsby. Comic adventures include beatings and injuries.