Cervantes and Don Quixote

Guest: Dale Pratt, professor of Spanish and Comparative Literature here at Brigham Young University. He joined us today to talk about the recent discovery of the remains of Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, which is widely considered to be one of the greatest works of modern literature  After a seemingly quixotic search spanning decades, archaeologists and historians in Spain have discovered what they believe to be the long-lost remains of the man who wrote Don Quixote. They’ve unearthed bones and a coffin marked “M C” beneath a 17th Century convent in Madrid, prompting us to reflect on the significance of the author and his magnum opus. It appears regularly on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published and is often considered to be one of the first modern novels. What makes Don Quixote so important?