Don Quixote isn’t just a famous character. He changed literature

Don Quixote isn’t just a famous character. He changed literature—and the way we understand ourselves.

When Cervantes introduced Don Quixote in 1605, he broke every rule. Instead of perfect heroes, he gave readers a flawed man chasing impossible ideals. Instead of simple adventure, he created a story that questioned reality, storytelling, and even the act of reading itself.

That innovation launched what many consider the first modern novel. It inspired everyone from Dickens to Dostoevsky, from Flaubert to Borges. Even the term “quixotic” entered our language, describing people who pursue noble dreams against impossible odds.

His influence stretches into psychology, philosophy, art, and film. Don Quixote became a symbol of idealism, imagination, and the tension between how the world is and how it ought to be.

Four centuries later, the knight of the woeful countenance still shapes how we tell stories—and how we see ourselves.
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