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Part 1, Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis:
In Don Quixote, Cervantes adopts a style that highlights the role of the narrator and blends fact and fiction. Throughout the novel, the narrator comments upon his own narration of the story, which he claims to have read about in various real chronicles and “annals” held in La Mancha. He describes, for example, a degree of uncertainty in his sources regarding the “first adventure” of Don Quixote:
Some authors say that the first adventure that befell him was that of the Pass of Lápice, others claim that it was that of the windmills, but what I’ve been able to discover about this matter, and indeed what I’ve found recorded in the annals of La Mancha, is that he rode on throughout that day, and that at nightfall both he and his nag were exhausted and half dead from starvation; and that, looking all around to see if he could spot some castle or shepherds’ hut [...] he caught sight of an inn not far from the road.
Here, the narrator notes that different sources start at different points in Don Quixote’s journey. The narrator, however, has “found recorded in the annals of La Mancha” that Don Quixote’s journey began when, “exhausted and half dead from starvation,” he sought shelter at an inn. This discussion of sources and differing interpretations by the narrator calls his reliability into question and blurs the line between fiction and reality. In fact, there was never any such person named Don Quixote, nor any historical records concerning his exploits, as he is a fictional invention of Cervantes. Still, the narrator lends a sense of credibility to his tale through references to earlier chroniclers and accounts upon which, he claims, he bases his story. In addition, this use of quasi-historical sources parodies a convention of chivalric literature, which often claims to be founded in historical fact despite detailing magical and supernatural events.
Related Themes:
