/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.4320335]

I'm considering reading "Don Quixote," but I know jack all about 16th century Spain (or whenever/wherever it's set). How much is this going to inhibit me from understanding and appreciating the book?

For instance, though I would have understood the basic storyline of "Les Miserables" even without knowing much about the French Revolution and Napoleon, I think that I was able to get a lot more out of the book for understanding its historical context.

[Anonymous No.4320359]

>>4320335

I just read this knowing jack about 16 c. Spain. Depending on what translation/edition you get it ought to have endnote and footnotes to some extent. Reading any introduction ought to give you enough background information on the times to get by. I'd say you'll be fine, just be prepared for some longer, slower passages that tell stories outside of the main narrative, like the History of the Curious Impertinent. Otherwise there's plenty of laugh out loud moments and great characterization, and if you can balance amusement with pity for Don Quixote's delusions and how he is treated by others then you're doing a good job.

[Anonymous No.4320362]

16th century spain

>catholics
>moors
>Charles V
>New Spain
>Pizzaro
>Cortez
>The Armada 1588
>....?
>Profit

[Claquesous No.4320367]

>>4320359
Les Mis cured me of any fear I may have had of lengthy diversions.

[Claquesous No.4320375]

>>4320359
P.S.- What edition did you read?

[Anonymous No.4320376]

>>4320367

Then go for it, man. Honestly it's one of the best books I've read in many ways. It balances musings on chivalry and slavery with poop jokes and doesn't feel contrived or uneven. No hard feat. Compare a few translations and see which ones feels most natural for you, or choose based on whichever has the most extensive footnotes and/or endnotes.

[Anonymous No.4320382]

>>4320375

I read the Peter Motteux translation, which dates from early 1700's England, so it definitely has an outdated English feel to the prose, but I found it enjoyable enough. It just happened to be the one I bought before I realized how important a good translation is, so I figured I'll just reread it in a couple of years in a different translation. It's that good.

[Anonymous No.4320383]

Edith Grossman's is the one I read, and Bloom enjoyed it

Also am I the only one to ever enjoy the long diversionary tales Cervantes defends in the second half of the book

[Claquesous No.4320387]

>>4320383
I think you pretty much have to enjoy that kind of thing to get through it; reading something like Les Mis or Moby Dick would have been horrendous if I were only tolerating, rather than enjoying, the lengthy, plot-pausing tangents.

[Anonymous No.4320388]

>>4320383

I like the diversionary tales in the second book much better than the ones in the first. The Curious Impertinent was fine, but damn did it seem to go on forever, and plus it was just some characters reading it out of a damn book. When the diversionary tales stuck to characters' backstories to show why Don Quixote might care about their plights then they were much more enjoyable and relevant to the narrative.

[Anonymous No.4320402]

>>4320375
>>4320382

I should note that another, later translator of Don Quixote called the Motteux version "worse than worthless."

[Anonymous No.4320440]

>>4320359

I also have it laying around planning on reading it this weekend. After getting through the lawyers speeches and the grand inquisitor in the brothers Karamazov I think I can handle it.

[Anonymous No.4321986]

If you know some knight tales you might get a nice grip of the story, since it revolves around them.
Maybe some ancient greek philosophy and mythology but other than that I don't think it mentions anything current events (even if it does, they are minimal).
The first part is shit, boring as fuck.
The second part is where shit gets funny.
BTW be prepared to read some long as fuck responses and unrelated stories.

[Anonymous No.4322015]

>>4320335
Obviously you didn't understand Les Miserables since it was set during the June Rebellion and had nothing to do with Napoleon.

[Anonymous No.4322017]

>>4320335
It's the last book in the category "classics" you'd need something like historical background knowledge for. It's just a funny book, there is very few to nothing allusive in it, just read it, everything else is made up bullshit.

[Anonymous No.4325139]

>>4322017

Very few to nothing allusive? The book namedrops knight-errants from previous literature left and right, not to mention obscure (for most of us) figures from Spanish history. Notations will explain a little bit, but don't expect to know much more about some of these figures than the original text tells you, unless you do your own supplementary research.

[Anonymous No.4326959]

>>4320335
it's a really funny dynamic where the medicine men keep making fun of the suits, resulting in an interesting narrative where deep contemplation is interrupted by what is essentially trolling.

[Anonymous No.4326969]

>>4320359
this.

Though I never found myself pitying anyone. It's culture clashing resulting in some amusing story lines with a bit of "magic" thrown in for good measure. As the reader you keep having to remind yourself that these are two people with completely different cultural backgrounds.

[Anonymous No.4327000]

>>4320335
Perhaps you should look into a Norton Critical Edition. They usually throw in a bunch of additional background information and essays.

[Anonymous No.4327021]

Just read the book. Even if you don't understand the context, at least you've exposed yourself to another piece of literature that at least will entertain you and at most will somehow help to enrich your life.

[Anonymous No.4327246]

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6B03F6D8A10B2216

[Anonymous No.4327288]

>>4327246

not op, but thanks for this anon. have some tits in return.

[Anonymous No.4327335]

>>4327288
glad to help

[Anonymous No.4327636]

It doesn't have much in the way of historical setting, besides them REPEATEDLY telling you the moors got kicked out of Spain and knights are a thing of the past even then.

[Anonymous No.4327676]

> How much is this going to inhibit me from understanding and appreciating the book?

Not an inch, if you completed high school history at least.

[Anonymous No.4327720]

>>4327246

[Anonymous No.4328315]

>>4320335
p sure Les Mis did not take place during *the* French Revolution.