In her essay “Don Quixote's Disappearing Act”, Anne J. Cruz argues that Don Quixote's death can be predicted, and already in part 1. Her thesis is that the first and the second parts of the novel can be understood thus: " [...] Don Quixote's final act of disappearance confirms his irrevocable subsumption into his own text." (Cruz, 840). Cruz's idea has caused much discussion and controversy, and many are divided over their agreement with it. This statement is not true, as it overlooks the writing of the “False Quixote,” as Cervantes' response to this hoax was to put an end to the possibility of any future Don Quixote stories. Cervantes chose to kill Don Quixote to regain control of the imaginary world he had created, in retaliation against anyone who tried to misappropriate his creation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the end of the first part of Don Quixote, Cervantes gives a hint about the next line of Don Quixote and Sancho: "Don Quixote left home [and ] went to Zaragoza and participated in some famous tournaments held in that city" (Cervantes, 445). He ends the novel with the phrase "Perhaps another will sing with better plectio". in a better style,” which many interpreted as an invitation to others to continue writing. In the period between the publication of the first and second parts, this invitation was accepted and a scammer wrote a counterfeit sequel to Don Quixote, known as the “False Quixote”. Cervantes learned of this book while he was writing the second part, and immediately mentioned it in his writings, while Don Quixote and Sancho are traveling to Zaragoza after leaving the Duke and Duchess. they approach an inn where they will spend the night. At the inn they hear two people reading the False Quixote. Don Quixote confronts them about the book when he hears them say that in the story he renounces his love for Dulcinea. They then discuss how much of a lie the book is and how many errors it contains. To conclude their conversation, Don Quixote states "I will not set foot in Zaragoza, and so I will proclaim to the world the lies of this modern historian", (Cervantes, 849) and changes his destination from Zaragoza to Barcelona. it is the first time that Cervantes refers to the “false Quixote” in the novel and it has a powerful meaning. By changing their destination, he completely discredits the “false Quixote,” proving that he is not true and that Don Quixote and Sancho will do everything they can to prove his fraud. After leaving the inn, on their new route to Barcelona, Sancho comes across something hanging from a tree. Realizing that this object was human legs and feet, the terrified Sancho runs to Don Quixote, who in response calmly says “[...] these feet and legs that you touch but do not see undoubtedly belong to outlaws and bandits who have been hanged [...] which leads me to think that I must be near Barcelona" (Cervantes, 851). Don Quixote and Sancho then find themselves surrounded by a group of thieves who rob them, but eventually take them in and travel with them to Barcelona. While with the thieves, Don Quixote and Sancho witness robberies and murders, in stark contrast to the law-enforcing knight Quixote practiced previously. A significant change can be seen in the atmosphere of the book, after Cervantes learned of the publication of the “False Quixote”. It changed the path of the novel, metaphorically and literally, by changing the destination of the city and..
tags