The name of the glorious wandering knight Don Quixote is heard by everyone, even by those who have not read the famous novel by Cervantes. A passionate admirer of chivalric romances, fifty-year-old eccentric Alonso Quihano invented a new name for himself and decided to become famous for his knightly exploits. What is the story of the creation of the novel, which tells about the adventures of Don Quixote?
Cervantes and his era
To understand the history of the creation of Don Quixote, it is necessary to clarify some facts from the life of the author of the novel and the peculiarities of the era in which he lived and worked. Cervantes's life fell on a crisis period in European history. Feudal Europe for several centuries turned into a region where social and industrial revolutions took place, experimental science developed successfully.
Spain, the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, in the 16th century turned into a second-rate country, which, although it owned vast colonies, did not play a dominant role on the political scene of Europe. These features of the situation in Spain are reflected in the legend of the comic adventures of Don Quixote, accompanied by the squire Sancho Panza.
Cervantes was born near Madrid. He did not have a chance to study at large universities; all his extensive knowledge is the result of deep reading. In addition, the author of Don Quixote loved to listen to and watch theatrical performances often given by itinerant actors.
On the stage of street theaters, fascinating performances about the life of knights, about the life and life of medieval Europe were played. Some plots became the starting point for the creation of a chivalric novel by Cervantes.
From the history of the creation of "Don Quixote"
In 1587, Cervantes received a modest position and began to be in charge of the procurement of provisions for the future Spanish campaign to the shores of Britain. However, he had no business skills and was even imprisoned for some time, being accused of embezzlement.
During his imprisonment, the image of the future hero appeared to Cervantes, who lost his mind under the influence of knightly romances and went in search of adventure, appearing before the world in the form of the Knight of the Sorrowful Image.
At first, Cervantes planned to make his work a short story. Researchers suggest that the novella about the exploits of Don Quixote in its original version included several chapters of the future novel and was printed in a separate edition.
Cervantes' novel was not created overnight. In fact, the work consists of two novels, which were published ten years apart. The first part was published in 1605, the second - in 1615. Only twenty years after the publication of the second part, the publishers combined the work into one novel, which received the abbreviated title "Don Quixote".
