/lit/ - Literature

>>10833965
Don't read what you don't want to read.

You should read it very slowly, paying close attention to annotations that explain all the numerous implicit and explicit references to works and events of the time it was written in, and also appreciate how it has been interpreted by literary scholars as a revelation of the human condition and a basis for many literary works after its time.
Or else not read it at all. It's kind of like studying gravity, you study it in order to understand something else. Don Quixote by itself, taken only for its aesthetic qualities, easily falls short of many other works, including ones from our own era.

>>10833965
If you don't find it endearing then it's not for you. Your loss, really. Pack up and move in to brainletown

>>10833989
if you need to know references to enjoy a book then it's shit

>>10833989
Don't listen to this pseud. Although there's obviously more to it, Don Quixote is meant to be a fun book. The second part is more philosophical and also where the metafiction comes in, so even if you're not as into the first part it might be worth sticking it out.

Approach it with the aim of having fun. Don't marathon through the first part if you're not feeling it, take breaks in between the story arcs and read something else.

Damn man if you hate that part of part 1 youre definitely gonna hate the rest of part 1. I kinda enjoy the slapstick in the beginning but that's just me.

>>10833965
It does pick up a bit later on, but it's not that much different. If you don't find it at least a bit charming now then you're not gonna like it.

>>10833965
shit like this makes me lose hope for the future of humanity, not that i ever had any to begin with

>>10833965
Are you a native english speaker? If not, are you reading it in the original spanish? I'm a native spanish speaker and I'm like 200 pages in as well, but it's taken me a lot to get there. It's a very heavy book, but I have to admit it has made me laugh several times already. Sancho and Don Quijote getting their asses kicked is part of the fun, after all the book is an ironic take on old knight stories

>>10833974
How do I find books I like to read?

>>10833965
There's a lot of wordplay that gets lost in translation, so most of the non-slapstick jokes don't quite carry over. Plenty of reference humor that didn't age perfectly, either. But the minor characters (Marcela, the various innkeepers, etc.) are all interesting and have their own stories to get into, and the narrative structure is unique, even today. These things add depth to what would otherwise just be "ayy chivalry lmao."

>>10833989
t. doesn't understand why the Three Stooges are so funny.

>>10834413
The Rutherford translation was genuinely funny. I don't think other translators considered it to be as much of a priority.

Is this worth reading in Spanish over English? I remember having to read a few chapters in Spanish class years ago.

I just read it in Portuguese and don't give a fuck about it being translated.

>>10834016
this desu

>>10833965
baby come back to it when you read more literature, and are able to appreciate it more. if you just pick it up and start reading maybe all the subtitles lose their impact

I'm reading Grossman's translation, three hundred pages in, just about to begin the captives tale after the tale of the curious lover). The droll humor, Sancho's good nature, and all of the embedded stories and narrative layers are keeping me going.

>>10834497
I've got the grossman translation. Did i fuck up?

>>10833965
Native spanish speaker here, it's hell to read.

>>10834631
If you don't fully speak spanish don't even try.

>>10833965
Keep going. It's entertaining not only because Sancho Panza and Don Quixote, but also because of secondary plots like the story of Cardenio and The Recklessly Curious Man

>>10833989
>It's kind of like studying gravity, you study it in order to understand something else. Don Quixote by itself, taken only for its aesthetic qualities, easily falls short of many other works, including ones from our own era.
You're a complete idiot.
>>10836848
You as well

>>10833965
Read Auerbach

Continue reading OP, but do feel free to skip the cuck story of Anselmo and Lothario. That shit was fucking dreadful to read.

First parts and last parts are the best. It's the middle that's not up to par.

>tfw you can appreciate Don Quixote for the silly adventures as much as the deep material and analyzing the overwhelming influence it had on Western literature since its publication
Feels so good not being a brainlet

>>10833965
The first half of part one is probably the best part of the entire book, so if you don't enjoy that idk if you're going to make it

>>10838761
>The first half of part one is probably the best part of the entire book
Au contraire you cock-gargler

>>10833965
Just follow this advice. >>10834016
It's a really fun book.

>>10836848
Los cojones.

>>10833974
Sometimes you should read things that are difficult. Often times you won't know you like something until 200 pages in.

>>10833965
In 7th grade, we spent an entire semester reading DQ. The teacher "filled in the blanks", explaining the references to the past times and events. I forget which translation we used, but I do remember it to be an enjoyable experience. I recommend pressing forward anon. There are reading companions to the book that help explain things. link related.
https://ebookstoredownload.org/books/a-companion-to-don-quixote