Don Quixote
Cervantes invented the modern novel.
“The truth may be stretched thin, but it never breaks, and it always surfaces above lies, as oil floats on water.”
Why It Matters
Cervantes invented the modern novel. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza — the idealist and the realist — created the template for every mismatched duo in fiction, from Holmes and Watson to every buddy comedy since. The book also introduced the idea that reading too much can drive you mad, which is the first great joke about the power of literature itself.
The 
Take
Personal reviewJust fantastic. Love overarching theme of a positive madness. Sancho the simpleton is a great yin yang with Quixote. His insistence on upholding chivalry, knight errant and loving dulcinea never gets old. The braying town was hilarious.
Notable Quotes
“Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be.”
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”