Tag Archives: Miguel de Cervantes

Trump, Quixote, and Windmills

Both Trump and Don Quixote have an animus against windmills. The resemblances end there, however.

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How Quixote Hones Problem-Solving Skills

Works that employ meta-fiction to break down the boundaries between the real and the fantastical teach us how to think outside the box.

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Rom-Coms, Defense against Heartbreak

One way of seeing “Tom Jones” is as “valentine armor,” alternating between romance and light satire. As such, it saves us from broken hearts.

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Are Stories a Trap? Not the Great Ones

A recent New Yorker article critiques our reliance on stories but makes the mistake of not distinguishing between different kinds of stories.

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History’s Arc Bends Towards Kafka

The late Kundera has fascinating insights into how the novel has intersected with history.

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Texas GOP Tilts with Windmills

As the Texas power grid implodes in the fact of arctic weather, the GOP pulls a Quixote and blames… windmills.

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Trump Tilts with Reality

Trump is like Don Quixote in that both deny reality. Quixote has much more benevolent motives, however.

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Reading Montaigne While Confined

In “Gentleman in Moscow,” the count turns to “Robinson Crusoe” to figure out how to survive. Reading Montaigne is a mixed bag.

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Holding to Higher Principles

Poets and other artists help keep alive the flame of higher principles. That’s why authoritarians like Donald Trump last out against them.

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