Sometimes called the first great novel, "Don Quixote" is the tale of an elderly Spaniard who – having read too many chivalric tales – becomes inspired to go on a quest as the knight Don Quixote in order to fix the wrongs of the world and earn the love of his lady (actually a neighboring farm girl with no interest in her would-be protector). Employing the uneducated Sancho Panza as his squire, Don Quixote faces down villains like a giant windmill. Don Quixote is also full of ruminations on concepts like heroism, imagination, and writing itself. At the heart of the story is the friendship between the knight and his loyal squire, Sancho Panza.
