thinking about the first half-

I finally made it! I'm half way through- The second part of the Ingenious Gentlemen, Don Quixote of La Mancha awaits me. I must say I feel odd about what I remember from the first part. At some points I was thoroughly intrigued by Quixote's rants. A other times I couldn't wait to read the reaction of other character's. Especially one of the latest scenes where Quixote says to the goatherd "You are a villain and a scoundrel, and you are the one who is vacant and foolish; I have more upstairs than the whore who ever bore you did" Wow- talk about intense insulting. Quixote crosses the line of flighting much too often. As least he may think most conversations are fun from the beginning. I think Sancho considers himself sane but I don't really want to regard him as realist. Even though that may be true I'd rather think of him as expected any friend would do in reaction to "real" social tensions. The first part of the novel I'm still letting incubate on my thoughts. As a reader responding, which is what I prefer to do before anything else- I think Don Quixote does not purposely step over his social boundaries but rather invites everyone to believe in chivalrous duty without being timid about the consequences. He knows what his doing, and he always accurately forecasts what anybody's response will be to his words. I think that's why his rants always come full circle. He insinuates a dire question and refutes his arguments that convey why he asks such questions in the first place. As far as having a critical literary theme to interpret the first have of the book I can't say any would be better than one another. New historicism might love the end notes but that almost would be reading rhetorically and commenting more on the references than the actual text itself. Psychoanalytic theory could have their way with Quixote but I'm sure nothing would be concretely accessible. For all of Don Quixote's rants that might help allude to a psychological condition I highly doubt any of those reasons would be a legitimate commentary. It's because all of Don Quixote's rants make sense. They all mean exactly what he means them to mean and to try and say they mean something else is ridiculous. Sancho is hooked by this. He is hooked how Quixote seems to make sense to himself but the world doesn't make sense of him. Being illiterate, Sancho sees the opportunity to become educated by an unconventional standard in the service of Don Quixote. So perhaps he is the first in the many groups of folk that will start to accept Quixote's quest. Of course I'm just speculating at this point but even if I'm wrong I know Sancho will learn something without realizing it.