Reflections on “Don
Quixote” and its relevance today
When Miguel de Cervantes
Saavedra wrote “Don Quixote” (in two parts, 1605 and 1615), the literary vogue
was for exaggerated and romanticised tales of chivalry where knights indulged
in acts of derring-do in order to impress and win over fair maidens.
Cervantes states quite
clearly in his preface his desire and intent to produce a satire of these
stories of knights-errant. He wished to undermine, mock and destroy the very
basis of these tales and this he did by creating a hero so absorbed in
chivalric myth and perception that he sees everything brighter, better,
idealised and heroic. In short, he confuses reality with this embellished and
glamorised chivalric world. So immersed has he become in chivalric lore and
thought that his very perception of the world he sees around him has been
affected and skewed to fit his chivalric expectations. Objective reality ceases
to function for him – only his distorted perception and interpretation based on
chivalrous precepts feed his understanding.
Cervantes seeks to ensure
that this chivalric version of literature is revealed as a modified,
exaggerated and worthless copy of life in the early seventeenth century where
acts of so-called courage and derring-do might end in brutal death or painful
and life-changing loss of limbs (Cervantes lost his left hand in the battle of
Lepanto in 1571), where “castles” are in fact run-down and unclean inns managed
by petty thieves out to fleece their customers, and where “damsels in distress”
are more akin to prostitutes out to make a quick buck. In other words, reality
may bear little resemblance to Quixote’s gallant image of the world.
Of course, another way of
regarding his confusedly noble acts is to consider the possibility that he
recognises that his actions may, in the end, be futile, but he considers that the
principles on which they are based are nonetheless worthy and admirable. He may
be out of kilter with the sad and cynical world around him but his mindset and
actions may be the result of seeing base conduct and low moral standards and
wishing to introduce and act upon more worthy mentality and conduct which may
evoke admiration and aspiration. It may be that he chooses to perceive the
world in a better light. Comedy and drama derive from the distance and conflict
between these two worlds and approaches.
Thinking beyond the book's 17th century targets, it might be worth
considering the possibility of parallels in today’s society and the distinct
possibility that Cervantes failed in his valiant attempt to warn us of the
dangers of pursuing fame, honour and glory at the expense of reason, sanity and
perhaps dignity to the point of delusion and self-deceit.
Is it possible to identify
a curiously Quixotic attitude among those who dupe themselves into believing that
spending excessive amounts of time focusing on reality TV, computer games and
devotion to celebrity are worthwhile activities?
Many choose to pursue a
somewhat skewed view of the world and see or attribute worth to artificially
created dramas or situations (claiming to be “real”) which indulge emotional
response and reaction. Worse, many aspire to emulate or become part of this
artificially cultivated culture and respond emotionally to the least
provocation whether in real life or on social media, following examples set in
the media by cynical, ambitious and manipulative producers. While this is
clearly far removed from the world of chivalry Quixote seeks to emulate, the
pattern of becoming immersed in and seeking to copy a style of behaviour falsely
established as admirable remains the same.
Many love the concept of
being a hero and computer games allow their players to feel like heroes,
committing acts of courage and daring without even leaving their seats and the
comfort of their own homes. Such games offer an alternative universe without “real”
discipline, commitment or consideration but gratify the players’ desire to act
out feats of daring and courage and allowing them to feel a certain
satisfaction, albeit in a virtual reality. Quixote was equally enamoured of the
concept of heroism, though he loses himself in his own virtual reality.
Cervantes railed against
the absurd and baseless admiration of heroes as laid out in the tales of
chivalry read by Quixote – details of their acts and quotations of their “wisdom”
are discussed and held up for adulation. Is this very different from the cult
of celebrity which underpins and reinforces our modern mindset? Actions,
attitudes and utterances gain instant approval and glorification simply because
they come from one who has become well known, even if such instances are
without particular merit in themselves. Surely this is an example of the attitude
Cervantes criticised in his book, though with the development of communication and
the media, many different types of “hero” are now held up for admiration and
receive unqualified adulation.
Of course, modern writers
go to great lengths to present their characters as human and flawed and they
may overcome challenges through positive qualities such as courage,
determination and intelligence. However, it appears there will always be an
obsessive section of the public whose desire to find and follow a hero means
that they are willing to hold up virtually every aspect of the character of their hero as
admirable and worthy of emulation, without critical consideration or challenge. This can fairly be called Quixotic.
Cervantes’ book
entertainingly captures the universal and enduring qualities of man’s apparent
need to believe in something (or someone) greater than himself and his capacity for self-delusion,
cleverly combined with mankind’s worthy aspiration to lead a principled and
laudable life. Although it was written in the early 1600s, it would appear
Cervantes managed to encompass various aspects of modern society, an
achievement of which he could be proud, though it begs a number of questions
about the evolution of society through the years ……
My thanks for taking the
time to read this page. I hope you found it of some value.
Stuart Fernie
I can be contacted at stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk
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