Don Quixote de la Mancha is a parody
of the medieval romance genre: a type of literature that flourished from the 12th to
the 14th centuries.
Don Quixote was written when this genre was already in decline (15th cent.)
but a detailed knowledge of the characteristics of the ‘medieval romance’ is
necessary for a profound understanding of the work.
WHAT DOES ‘MEDIEVAL’ MEAN? [A brief history of the
middle ages]:-
The Roman Empire started declining towards the AD 300’s and its crumbling gave
rise to the Medieval Ages, or Middle Ages. This period lasted from AD 500 to
1500 and is referred as ‘middle’ because it was the time when the European
nations began to form. Since the borders of present day European nations were
being set, the middle Ages were a period of great warfare. The initial lack of
strong government divided the people into feudal states. Because of the
constant warfare between these states, the concept of the knight came into
being. A knight is simply a mounted warrior. Young men were taught to wear
heavy armor, ride a war-horse, and fight with sword and lance. With the rise of
the knight came the rise of chivalry, the knightly code of behavior. The
chivalrous knight was supposed to be loyal to his feudal state, virtuous,
brave, selfless, and protector of the weak.Click Here to Read Full Answer
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