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Read MoreDon Quixote Online Book Group—First Discussion
Newly introduced by leading Quixote scholar Ilan Stavans, this 400th Anniversary edition of Don Quixote—called the most popular book in history after the Bible and the first modern novel—inaugurates Restless Classics: interactive encounters with great books and inspired teachers. Each Restless Classic is beautifully designed with original artwork, a new introduction for the trade audience, and a video teaching series and live online book club discussions led by passionate experts.
Join us this Friday, November 6, 1:00 – 3:00 EST at the Restless Facebook page for the first of four live, online discussions about the book, led by Ilan Stavans. We'll be talking about the first quarter of the text, and more generally about Don Quixote and its place in the world. Even if you haven't cracked the book open yet, we'd love to hear from you!
Get the Book:
Join the Discussion:
When: Friday, November 6, 1:00 – 3:00 EST
Where: The Restless Books Facebook page
How: Find the book discussion post on the Facebook page, and add your question or comment in the "Write a comment" field. Ilan Stavans and the Restless team will respond to you. Feel free to respond to other questions and comments, too!
Who: The first online book group discussion is free and open to the public. The Don Quixote video teaching series filmed by Ilan Stavans is exclusively available to those who've purchased the book, which includes instructions on how to access the videos. See below for more info.
Examples:
Here are some questions to get you thinking about the first part of the book before the discussion begins:
- What is a parody? In what sense is the novel parodic?
- Do you think Don Quixote is mentally ill?
- Why do you think Don Quixote has become an inspiration for freedom-fighters like Ernesto “Ché” Guevara and Nelson Mandela?
- Why is Don Quixote often described as meta-literary, that is, a narrative in which its characters are aware of their literary condition?
- Don Quixote is an avid reader who loses the capacity to discern between what is real and what isn’t. Is the novel a critique of the act of reading?
Watch the Videos:
The Restless Classics edition of Don Quixote comes with a corresponding series of eight teaching videos and four online book group discussions led by Ilan Stavans. Once you have the book in hand, you'll see a set of instructions on the first page, which will direct you to look for a symbol that appears eight times throughout the book, signaling a corresponding video.
The instructions will also list a website where, after entering your information, you'll be able to access the videos and get the details about the four live online book club discussions that will take place in the months following publication. Once released, all videos will remain live for later viewing. All book group discussions will be archived and will remain accessible as well.