Book Meme - Day 08

Day 08 – A book everyone should read at least once

This is an unfair question. :( It's also scary because it's the sort of recommendation that can't come lightly and it entails a lot of responsibility. (Yes, I'm taking it very seriously, why do you ask?)

So, yeah. Let's go with a classic that has a little for everyone:

El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha

Don Quixote has it all. It's also a book about books, just the way I like it. Its most relevant fanfic--the fansequel by someone by the nom de plume of Avellaneda--provoked such anger in Cervantes that it made him write the second part of the book, published in 1615, which includes an angry prologue and several 'Take That's within the narrative against said fanfic. (Then again, in the prologue of his work, Avellaneda had called Cervantes lazy, among other things. Talking about entitled fans, heh.)

Within the book, there is action and mystery and autobiographic tendencies. There's also some exploration of the several facets of romance and, as far a I know, the first Anti-Nice Guy speech in the history of literature is here (Marcela is awesome asserting that she doesn't have to love Grisóstomo back just because she's pretty and he's smitten with her; she doesn't owe him anything, and she just wants to be free and happy). There are also deep philosophical speeches about the human condition in between slapstick comedy and some very, very gag-worthy bits--in the most literal sense.

All in all, Don Quixote is a very layered, very beautiful, very amazing book about a man who went out to the world following a fantasy, found himself, and then came back.

And yes, I do love it.

( The rest of the questions/prompts )