…or a good one for that matter. I mean sure, it has cool references that no ordinary modern reader would understand and many proclaim it to be ahead of it’s times, a great satire, but I still maintain that it is as interesting as mathematics at 5:00 AM.
I’ve never ever come across a book that I struggled reading so much that I kept yawning through watery eyes. The shock of reading such a boring book was so profound that I read it again just to be sure that a book so highly praised could be drier than my big toe.
Anyone had the same experience with this book? I’m just so frustrated. My first Spanish classic and this what I get. Bah, Humbug 😉
by General-Use-5305
4 Comments
>I’ve never ever come across a book that I struggled reading so much that I kept yawning through watery eyes.
Skill issue if I ever saw one.
“Don Quixote is boring” is not a hot take. It starts that way for everyone but usually ends up with them finding it entirely engaging and informative. It really depends on how interested you are in the details. You don’t have to be ashamed to not like it, but you should be able to grasp why others may dig it.
I find that most people who aren’t studying old languages need a translation of the book to modern language (not a loyal translation into your native language, which I assume is what you struggled with, but a translation of that translation, so to speak).
In any case, even if you find a new version of the text, you might still not enjoy or understand the prose. That’s ok, not all books are for everyone. Just make sure you express your frustration as your own opinion, not as bashing a classic that has been universally acclaimed, even through the more rebellious currents of literature.
Don’t read it word to word. I don’t think anyone found the countless lists of medieval authors and their works particularly interesting. The abridged versions exist for a reason. But some parts and the overarching story are really memorable. There are some scenes which I think will stick with me for 50+ years from now, the windmills and the ending being the most obvious.
Something that really helped my immersion was picturing it as a sad tale, where Quixote is a delusional, perhaps insane, but still good-hearted individual that can’t cope with the harsh reality of our world.