First published in 1605, Don Quixote was originally intended as a skit on traditional popular ballads and a parody of the romances of chilvalry. The addled idealism of Don Quixote, a poor country gentleman whose love of chivalric romances has driven him insane, and the earthy acquisitiveness of his squire, Sancho Panza, propel them into a series of adventures involving characters from every level of society. In Quixote's imagination he is a noble knight, issuing heroic challanges against absurdly everyday objects. Only the commen sense of Panza brings Quixote down to earth.More than an adventure story, Don Quixote is rich in characters--not only in its principal characters, but in the many minor personages, some of whom make only a single appearance. Together, they are as lively a bunch as ever Chaucer rode to Canterbury with. This audio recording re-creates the novel's marvelous characters, uproarious adventures, and exciting escapes in lively, contemporary English.