Archive for the ‘Cervantes’ tag
In the Name of the Book, In the Name of Cervantes, Amen
(From my book Narrative Madness, edited by Kt Fox. Coming soon to a Kindle or iPad near you!)
The Name of the Book
When deciding to read a book, the first questions we ask are: “What is it called?” and “Who wrote it?” Easy, as the answers are printed on the fat novel to my right: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Just two names and the preposition “by.” We can almost pass over without a thought. How much meaning could there be in so few words?
How to Sound Like an Author of Great Reading, Learning and Eloquence: A Quixotic Preface
Cervantes’ preface to Don Quixote is a caustic satire of academic writing, just as valid today as it was four hundred and five years ago. Full of delicious irony, Cervantes brags with the deepest humility. He points out the flaws in the book are its qualities.
