Don Quixote in the Real World: From Escapism to Engagement

This seminar shifts the study of the novel as a literary artifact to illuminate the synergy among the fields in the humanities, political economy, and law unique to the early modern period. Diverse readings introduce how the novel encompasses centuries of humanistic thought establishing modern parameters of moral philosophy, law, history, and economic thought. Cervantes' concern with social justice, freedom, empathy, and legal protection reflect on current moral questions about migration, difference, power, and wealth. Recent films and performances based on the novel re-assess Quixotism as engagement and activism.