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I'm re-reading Cervante's Don Quixote. SPOILERS: Don Quixote is a small land owner of the minor nobility, a man of leisure who during his leisure takes up reading books about knights and adventures. He reads so many that he starts to believe that he is such a knight. Eventually he goes on quests and adventures and usually gets himself beaten in the bargain.
As I read the story I began playing with the idea of translating it into a modern story, where instead of knight errantry, the hero will have read too much Fantasy.
I recently read the chapters where Don Quixote is home between adventures. His friends, the town Priest and the town Barber (Surgeon)are trying to cure the Don by burning the bad books of knight errantry that have turned the good squire quite mad.
The good men look at the books and give a quick critique--determining whether they should be saved or cast into the fire--the Inquisition of the books.
Several of their comments would work on modern fantasy books as well. One translation...
"What of this one. It is the first on the shelf. 'Lord of the Rings' by Tolkien." asked the Barber.
"No, that shall not burn. For though it birthed all the pale imitators that followed, it is well written and considered a master piece." replied the Priest.
"Then we shall spare it the flames. What of this, by his son."
"That shall burn, for the virtues of the father shall not save the sins of the son."
(In Don Quixote almost the exact words were used on the first two books--"Ardimas of Gaul" and "The Son of Ardimas".)
So now I ask you...which fantasy books should we condemn to the fire, and which should we save from so ignoble a fate.
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