[专栏]为什么我们应该要读《唐吉诃德》？(3)

重点都比较是在列出英勇功绩，
than character development.
而不是角色发展。
To challenge them, he wrote Don Quixote,
为了挑战这些书，他写了《唐吉诃德》，
the story of a hidalgo, or idle nobleman,
故事主角是个无所事事的西班牙贵族，
who spends his days and nights
他不分昼夜
reading chivalry novels.
都在阅读骑士道小说。
Driven mad by these stories,
这些故事让他发了疯，
he fashions himself a champion for the downtrodden.
他把自己塑造成为受压迫者而战的斗士。
Everyone in his village
他村中的每个人
tries to convince him to give up his lunacy,
都试着说服他放弃他的愚蠢行为，
going so far as to burn some of the
甚至做到烧毁了他个人图书馆中
lurid books in his personal library.
一些骇人听闻的书籍。
But Don Quixote is unstoppable.
但没人能阻挡唐吉诃德。
He dresses up in old shining armor,
他穿戴上古老的闪亮盔甲，
mounts his skinny horse,
骑上他那匹皮包骨的马，
and leaves his village in search of glory.
离开了他的村落，去追寻荣耀。
Cervantes’ novel
塞凡提斯的小说
unfolds as a collection of episodes
是以一系列事件的方式呈现，
detailing the mishaps of the valiant knight.
详细刻画了这位英勇骑士的不幸。
Yet unlike the chivalry books
但，和骑士道书籍不同，
and perhaps all other prior fiction,
可能也和所有其他先前的小说不同，
Cervantes’ story deeply investigates
塞凡提斯的故事深入探究了
the protagonist’s inner life.