Tuesday, May 19, 2015

The Weekly (Pat) Report #2: The Finale

As often happens with these kinds of things, they just sort of fade away. At least to all outward appearances. After a huge explosion after last Wednesday's post (and it was epic, let me tell you), Pat offered a truce, which covers fixing the things he did but not the things his sister did. As it turns out, his sister is willing to offer her brother up as a sacrifice for a vendetta that isn't hers just because it's fun to do mean things to people (that's a paraphrase of her actual words, not something I'm just saying). Pat, though, is doing his best to counteract what his sister has done, since she's unwilling to retract all of the fake ratings she threw at me.

And that's where it stands and where it will stand unless something else happens. I'm hoping that nothing else happens.

Because this is related, I recently (last week) started reading The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha; you probably know it better simply as Don Quixote, but I just love the full title. Now, just in case you don't know, this book is 400 years old and is one of the first examples of a novel in Western literature. Yet, in the prologue to the book, Cervantes felt compelled to write the following:
Idle reader, you need no oath of mine to convince you that I wish this book, the child of my brain, were the handsomest, the liveliest, and the wisest that could be conceived. ...if a father should happen to sire an ugly and ill-favored child, the love he bears it claps a bandage over his eyes and so blinds him to its faults that he reckons them as talents and graces and cites them to his friends as examples of wit and elegance. But I, who appear to be Don Quixote's father, am in reality his stepfather and do not intend to follow the usual custom, nor to beg you, almost with tears in my eyes, as others do, dearest reader, to pardon or dissemble the faults you may see in this child of mine. You are no kinsman or friend of his; ...all of which exempts and frees you from every respect and obligation. So you may say what you please about this story without fear of being backbitten for a bad opinion or rewarded for a good one.
So... There you go. 400 years ago, Cervantes was saying, "Review the thing however you want to. Be honest. You won't get a response from me one way or the other." Evidently, he was the exception in his time period, not the rule.

I suppose this is just an example of how people don't really change all that much. 400 years later, we're still struggling with the concept of allowing people to honestly receive our work.

20 comments:

  1. I read this in school, but haven't read it again as an adult. I probably should. I don't recall disliking it. That little snippet from the beginning is great.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shannon: It was never required reading for us, so this is the first time I've gotten to it. So far, it's brilliant.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Alex C: One can hope (but I'm not holding my breath).

      Delete
  3. It's been so long since I've read this, I hardly remember a thing about the story. Especially this prologue. I love that it's not just about bad reviews, but good ones too. A good review is a reward in itself and doesn't require a pat on the back, and I firmly agree with that.

    And cheers to peace. May it last.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ABftS: Yeah, me, too. I would say that Cervantes was enlightened for his day, but it seems he's enlightened for our day, too.

      Delete
  4. I don't think I could read Don Quixote today. I certainly never did so as a younger person. Not sure why. I am too involved in Harry Dresden at the moment. Have read the last four or five books, I have decided to go back to the beginning. I'm awfully glad I don't write books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jo: You might think about it. Don Quixote is still, 400 years later, considered one of the best novels ever written. And I can see why.

      Delete
  5. I know I read Don Quixote once upon a time. I think it was in a world literature class in high school. It wasn't a favorite of mine. I wonder how I would feel about it oh-so-many years later.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Janie: I've found that with many of the books I read in high school, even books I really liked at the time, that I appreciate them more, now, and even joy them more. You might try it again.

      Delete
    2. I might still have a copy of it.

      Delete
    3. Janie: If you don't, there are some $0.99 translations for the Kindle. Not that I know if any of them are any good, but they exist.

      Delete
  6. Never read Don Quixote--only saw the movie version of Man of la Mancha.

    I was please to read Pat's truce post the other night. I hope this is the end and all is well. I get the impression that he doesn't like me for some reason as he never responds to my comments or reciprocates in any way, and yet he responded rather negatively to comments I made on your site. Strange he would take time to do that and not try to cultivate a blog friendship with me when I have left comments on his own blog.

    I hope this will be the end of the feud and everyone can move on to other more productive activities.

    Arlee Bird
    A to Z Challenge Co-host
    Tossing It Out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lee: Don't feel bad. He rarely responds to anyone's comments.
      On his own blog.

      Delete
    2. I get the comments by email so I read them all but I don't usually see the point in responding. I tend to think people have better things to do.

      Delete
    3. Sometimes I think that too. Most of the time I don't think that those who have left a comment see my responses, but I leave them anyway just in case there are those who might want to engage. There are actually a few who do see my responses. Thank you, Andrew, for being among those.

      Arlee Bird
      A to Z Challenge Co-host
      Road trippin' with A to Z
      Tossing It Out

      Delete
  7. I'm glad he finally realized you weren't going to let yourself get pushed around. I can't believe his sister really said that. Well, I can, but I can't believe how much I'm rolling my eyes at it. What a family.

    I hope you enjoy Don Quixote. I remember reading the abridged version in Spanish class. It was surprisingly enjoyable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jeanne: I have frequently said, due to years and years of working with teenagers, that nothing surprises me anymore. To an extent, that's true, because, well, people. However, sometimes, I'm still surprised before I realize that I'm not.

      Delete
  8. I've never heard of Don Quixote, but it seems to have some 1 star reviews on Amazon. Good to know the author wouldn't mind. I'm joking!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cindy: 1-star reviews! Maybe, I should be his champion and go over and tell all those people how horrible they are for trashing a book by a guy who isn't even around to defend himself anymore!

      Oh, wait...

      heh

      Delete