Dreaming the impossible dream

Q: When Cervantes originally published Part I of The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha in 1605, he purportedly intended the book's main character to caution readers against the danger of reading novels of knight-errantry. It seems clear that this was not Cervantes's only intention in writing the book: in fact, he himself crafts a tale of knight-errantry that is as delightful as it is edifying. Still, he allows his "hero" to suffer numerous scrapes and close calls before Alonso Quijano dies at the end of Part II battered, shattered, repentant and poor.

By the end of the 19th century, Don Quixote was being read and interpreted in a completely different way. The story's title character was seen as a hero with the courage to pursue his dream and with the vision to transform the barren Spanish countryside into a magical realm of giants and enchanted princesses. This interpretation continues to resonate, as is reflected in such contemporary interpretations as Broadway's Man of La Mancha and our current understanding of the word quixotic as not only rash and impractical, but also visionary and excessively romantic.

In your opinion, is Don Quixote an object lesson, a romantic hero, or a bit of both? Is it ever desirable to be quixotic?

-J

The Human Experience

Q: If you could make one human experience mandatory for everyone, what would it be? What do you think they would learn from it? What would you hope to achieve, and why do you feel it is necessary?


-A

Identity

Q: In your opinion, does a person's identity hinge on his perception of himself, or on other people's perceptions of him?
-J