Leben und Taten des scharfsinnigen Edlen Don Quijote von la Mancha, Erster Band

The narrative follows an aging country gentleman who, obsessed with chivalric romances, sets out as a self-styled knight and, accompanied by a pragmatic squire, undertakes a series of ill-fated adventures. Episodes range from slapstick misrecognitions to poignant encounters, alternating satire of romantic idealism with reflections on sanity, authorship, and social mores. The episodic narrative includes embedded tales and metafictional asides that blur fiction and commentary, producing a comic yet humane examination of illusion, identity, and the power of stories.