But on to my past month with Don. Fabulous, actually. Part II is so much stronger than the first, I think, which is quite an accomplishment for most writers. Cervantes is cheeky, and self-conscious, playing jest and never taking itself seriously.
Sancho's character wins over much more admiration as well, showing surprising intellect at times, and basically just winning me over altogether. If I ever get a pet, I will name him Sancho. Don Q too is obviously an intelligent character, but Sancho is his backbone that drives the reader to go on, as without him he is just a creepy, crazy skinny old man (when he is in his madness, at least) wandering through medieval Spain.
In the end, "...if he like a Madman liv'd/At least he like a Wise One dy'd", as DQ's epitaph states. He does, actually, show his wisdom and sanity in the last pages, but it is abrupt and strange. I don't mind, and I appreciate the shortness/directness of the way it wrapped up, actually.
So on to the bookshelf this classic goes, with the rest that will follow.
I
am sitting here listening to Radiolab, sentimentally looking back on August, when I started reading Quixote. It was warm out, and I was less tired. Oh the weight of the world. Which brings me to the next book, which should be a much much faster read. George Orwell's Keep the Aspidistra Flying. As the back of the book says, "A poignant and ultimately hopeful look at class and society, [the book] pays tribute to the stubborn virtues of ordinary people who keep the aspidistra flying".What is an aspidistra? I have no clue. So here is the definition by the Merrian Webster: Any of several eastern Asian plants of the genus Aspidistra in the lily family, especially A. elatior, which has large evergreen basal leaves and small, brownish bell-shaped flowers and is widely cultivated as a houseplant. Also called cast-iron plant.
Why does it fly? Beats me. Maybe I will find out. Anyway, ladies and gents, here we go, onwards to #620.
