2/28/10 Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Don Quixote has proved itself to be a classical comedy and drama. As a fan of classical novels, from Crime and Punishment to A Tale of Two Cities, I like stories that attack the norm of society or rational reasoning. Don Quixote is such a story that captures the essence of seeking the life of a hero or for adventure in the 1600's in Europe. People were still infatuated with the life of a knight while society was being turned on its side by the Renaissance. It is here, where Don Quixote gives up his life to be, in his mind, a wandering hero that fights the wicked and rescues the good. The only problem is that he has no sense of what he is doing. He is insane, bored, and obviously incapable of ever thinking with the least bit of rationale. He even believes a windmill is an evil and wicked creature so much that he "put his Rocinante to full speed, and assaulting the nearest windmill, thrust into one of the sails" (57). The comedy grows as he travels with his loyal squire, Sancho Panza, who seems to not do anything. What makes the story even more interesting is the speed at which it is told. While most books focus on a single event for at least 10 pages, DOn Quixote's battle with the windmill is over in one page. This surprise me especially since the book is almost 900 pages long. However, I am determined to read every page.

The War Mountains Continued

As I have stated before, John Mannock's story of the war in Yugoslavia is amazingly great. Its battle scenes are brought to life by the imagery and the careful dialogue. Also, as the story progresses a few important people are chosen as the main characters. However, Mannock carefully centers his plot so that it seems that the settings picked the main characters, and not the author himself. In his story which becomes centered about a specific mission to destroy a shipment of new elite German tanks, the characterrs experience danger, horrible conditions, and of course betrayal. There was evidence of betrayal all through out the story and the traitor finalely showed his true colors as he admits that he was going to be "'decorated in secret as a hero of the Third Reich'" and that he would be part of the regime that would "'rule Europe for the next thousand years'" (206). Obviously, this man is delusional or had terrible information. The story takes place in 1944, when Germany has been practically surrounded by its foes and is on the verge of collapse. Mannock cleverly puts this character in the position of having to be crazy as he believes he will live out a happy life in the Nazi regime even as it is tumbling. The character even risks his own safety to accomplish this. Finally, Mannock's description of feuding within the German ranks captivates the mind and humor as hilarious mockery is used of the German high command. Mannock is able to portray war as serious and greusome and then one minute later as a fun little game.