The History of Don Quixote, Volume 1, Part 17

This volume offers a close‑up look at the early reception of Cervantes’s classic, tracing how various English translations have shaped readers’ understanding of the tale. The editor explains why the famed Gustave Doré woodcuts have been paired with the Ormsby text, and provides insight into the choices made by earlier translators such as Jarvis and Motteaux. Readers will also find a thoughtful discussion of the controversies that surrounded the novel’s publication, presented in clear, accessible language.

The text itself includes a lively excerpt in which Don Quixote debates the nature of printed stories, then plunges into a fantastical vision of a boiling lake that transforms into a garden of jeweled palaces and singing birds. This passage captures the novel’s blend of satire, imagination, and philosophical rumination, inviting listeners to hear the rhythmic prose that sparked centuries of literary conversation.