Bronze statue of Don Quixote nd Sancho Panza in Madrid, Spain. Photo from Wikipedia.
Faint heart ne'er won fair lady, said Cervantes, author of Don Quixote. Don Quixote was famous for 'tilting at windmills' which he thought were the enemy. He imagined they were giants.
Cervantes' book was an instant success, in Spain, Europe, South America, all over the world. It is considered the father of the modern novel. (A rival claim is made for French author Proust who wrote Temps Perdu (in English Memories of Times Past) and the English author of Pamela.
Cervantes book was a series. (So was Proust's. So was Alice in Wonderland. So was Sherlock Holmes.) The public demands more. The publisher is on to a good thing. The author finds it easier. He already has the charcater and setting and just needs more incidents.
The interesting things about the plot is that originally novels were like series of short stories strung together by a chief character, a place, or a journey. Think of Chaucer's Canterbury tales.
The new waves of modern novels have the central character as the protagonist (hero or villainchief actor, who changes and learns and reflects, like the link person in a play.
I prefer this photo of the statue.
Useful Websites For Armchair Travellers
Don Quixote
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixote
Cervantes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes
Quotations from Cervantes
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes#/media/File:Quijote-argamasilla.jpg
Spain
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Spain
About the Author, Angela
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer and trainer of speakers. Please share links to your favourite posts.
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