Don Quixote: Chapters 10-12

Up to page 107. Slowing down, but that is more because of Holiday stuff and Life intruding.

Italics are what I penciled in the margins

The block quotes [not easily seen on Booklikes] are quotes from the book.

Everything else are just my thoughts as I’m typing along here

 

 

 

Chapter 10

Sancho is the voice of reason and yet is still as much a fool as Don Quixote

 

…but, if Sancho was grieved that they could not reach some habitation, his master was so much rejoiced to lie in the open air, making account that every time this befell him, he was doing an act possessive, or such an act as gave fresh evidence of his title to chivalry.

Acting like those city folk who go “camping” in their fully loaded RV’s & think that makes them Joe Wilderness. Ha

 

 

Chapter 11

Sancho shows his good sense, but sadly, it only when, and because, it is self-serving

A bucolic interlude of no import, much like Quixote himself

 

 

Chapter 12

This and the previous chapter, seem to be a side story about some shepherdess and the brainless idiot who died because he couldn’t have her. I’m just waiting for Quixote to make a complete hash of things after the funeral.

Another interlude to pad the story. I suspect this book will be full of them

 

 

It is hard to accept that Quixote can just jet around the country side without any interference from his niece or friends. It is almost like they don’t exist in the story except for when Quixote comes back to his village. That non-existence seems to apply to a lot of things in this book. It is almost like Cervantes is trying to get us to be in the same frame of mind as Quixote, which is ignoring reality except where it intersects with his own delusions.

On a side note, I am NOT liking the Oxford World Classic notes. They are useless to me. For example, Quixote, in story, will quote somebody or other named Gollios and the contributor, in this case E.C. Riley, will write something like “Quixote probably meant Galapagoes, who was the author of ‘Sir Gillaim'” instead of giving me a brief contextual background. The notes seem to be written for those who are already well versed in ancient ballads and history. It does someone like me absolutely no good.

I am seriously thinking of buying the penguin classic just to see if the notes are any better. They certainly can’t be worse. In fact, at this point, NO notes would be better, because it would mean I don’t interrupt my reading to turn to the back of the book to read something that just frustrates me instead of helping my understanding.