Don Quixote Part II: Political and Social Commentary - Chapters 22-35

Explore the political and social commentary in Part II of Cervantes' Don Quixote through this 59-minute Yale University lecture. Delve into the novel's realistic portrayal of Spanish life, including geographic concreteness and sociopolitical background. Examine how the author contrasts Don Quixote's outdated worldview with new scientific concepts, critiques the idle upper classes and the Church, and incorporates leisure activities of the time. Analyze the symbolic significance of characters and events, such as Dulcinea as a transvestite and the pageant in the forest. Gain insights into the novel's groundbreaking status as the first political novel and its critique of Spanish society in the early 17th century.