Maria Rosa Menocal and Don Quijote

While I know Dr. Menocal's speech was not about Don Quijote, rather the role of poetry in history, she did open her speech with examples from Cervante's book Don Quijote de la Mancha. My mind couldn't help but wonder a bit from that point. Man, was I excited! I knew what she was talking about! I knew Don Quijote! I read, or rather attempted to read, parts of the book in my Spanish class last year. While Dr. Menocal went on to explain how literature, or any aesthetic, preserves history, the story of Don Quijote played through my mind. Then it hit me...are some of us avid readers going to end up like Don Quijote himself? Will our non-stop reading send us into a downward spiral towards mental oblivion!? I, for one, do not want to end up as Don Quijote. I do not want to make a fool of myself as Don Quijote did. I would hope my family would send me to the doctor if I started to lose my mind. But will any of us give up our favorite past time, reading? Will any of us be phased by the threat of pending insanity? I think not. But now I realize I should only speak for myself on this matter. Maybe some of us book worms read in order to escape reality. Maybe some of us would rather lose our minds and live in a dream life, just like Don Quijote.