Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes discussion
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Week 3: Part I, Chapters 27–39
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Jason, Man of La Bamba
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Dec 13, 2013 10:00AM
This thread is for discussing Part I, Chapters 27 through 39 of Don Quixote, which will take place (roughly) between January 27 and February 02, 2014.
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I just started this week's reading. It's interesting that the story about Don Fernando gets cut off between the two reading sections.
I disliked that if I'm honest. But it does make you want to find out the rest of the story.
Ha! Well you can be honest. I only cut the chapters to fit the 10 weeks. I didn't know the story well enough to cut it in more convenient places.I love the story, though. I'm looking forward to finishing it (I assume) at lunch today.
Its the way the cut fell, so can't be helped. I do think though that you cannot please everyone. That said I got lucky and read most of these two weeks in the mammoth train read weekend so it wasn't too bad lol!
And the Don Fernando saga continues!
I think it's interesting that, in Chapter XXIX, Sancho Panza begins exhibiting signs of psychosis that he didn't exhibit before. Before, it was pretty much understood that Sancho knew how crazy DQ was, but now he seems to actually believe that DQ will be emperor or archbishop or whatever.
I think it is all the things he has been through - he still thinks DQ is crazy (the battle of the sheep was example enough), but I think he has also hung around with him for so long now and listened to so much... (I want to say nonsense but it really isn't) of DQ's opinions that he thinks there may be some truth in it. Either that or he has just got so desperate now that he will believe anything.
I'm just about done with this section. I've really enjoyed all of the side-stories this week, including the Don Fernando story, but especially the Anselmo/Lothario one called The Impertinent Curiosity.One thing I didn't like, however, was Dorotea forgiving Fernando. I think she should have chopped off his head as originally planned.
I'm also noticing, as the novel progresses, how intelligent and reasonable Don Quixote is. He is not the bumbling idiot that Cervantes might have led us to believe at the start of the novel and in fact often has really insightful things to say in response to people calling him out for his absurdity.It also seems clear that Sancho Panza is no longer the "straight man" in this book. His reasoning ability seems to be somehow corrupted, or perhaps he is just blinded by his greed and/or desires for wealth and prestige, but I no longer think he sees anything clearly whereas before I felt he did.
Hey guys, I didn't read the book with you, I'm only on chapter 32 now, but I'm really curious about something:Back on chapter 25, when Sancho learns that Dulcinea is Aldonza Lorenzo, he specifically says to Don Quijote that "I know her well", describes her voice and even says "...and I wish I were on my road already, simply to see her, for it is many a day since I saw her...”. On chapter 31, however, it is said about Sancho that "for though he knew that Dulcinea was a peasant girl of El Toboso, he had never seen her in all his life.”
Is this adressed or explained somehow later in the book?
You mean the discrepancy of Sancho having never met Aldonza and yet pretending to have done so? Yes. He is lying to Don Quixote. I forget where you are in the book right now so forgive me if this is spoilerizing but at one point he actually goes back to the village (by himself) to see Aldonza on behalf of DQ, never sees her (and instead sees some poor servant girl) and yet reports back to DQ that he has seen and spoken with her.
Does this answer your question or were you more interested in why Sancho does this? (I'm not really sure why he does it other than that the mutual clashing of their two realities has always been at the heart of their relationship.)
Or unless maybe you are just talking about how accurate his description is of Dulcinea even while not knowing her? He does not really know Dulcinea, but he knows OF her. When he realizes who Dulcinea is (spoken of by her common name Aldonza Lorenzo), he relates to DQ what he knows of her, but he is lying that he knows her well. He's never met her, but only knows OF her. Someone in this group can correct me if I'm wrong.
Hi Jason, thanks for your answer! Yes, I'm talking about when he realizes who Dulcinea is, saying he knows her well:“So, so!" said Sancho; "Lorenzo Corchuelo's daughter is the lady Dulcinea del Toboso, otherwise called Aldonza Lorenzo?”
“She it is," said Don Quixote, "and she it is that is worthy to be lady of the whole universe.”
“I know her well," said Sancho, "and let me tell you she can fling a crowbar as well as the lustiest lad in all the town. Giver of all good! but she is a brave lass, and a right and stout one, and fit to be helpmate to any knight-errant that is or is to be, who may make her his lady: the whoreson wench, what sting she has and what a voice!
(...)
“and I wish I were on my road already, simply to see her, for it is many a day since I saw her, and she must be altered by this time, for going about the fields always, and the sun and the air spoil women's looks greatly.”
So I took it that Sancho really knew her, and then, later, when it was said that he never saw her, I got confused about it.
Oh, okay. I think then my third answer was what you were looking for. And I could be wrong but I do think he is basically saying what he knows OF Aldonza Lorenzo, all while never really having met her. Also, you know how Sancho is. Even if he had heard one story about her, he'd expand it out and make it seem as though they were the bestest of friends, etc.Can anyone else in this group confirm/deny what I'm saying?
Haha you make a very good point about Sancho. I guess he could've just make it seem they were really close without having seeing her. Thanks for the answers! :)
Good luck, Renato. I hope you're liking Don Quixote.
Good!
