Miguel De Cervantes' Don Quixote de la mancha (1605-1615) and Salman Rushdie's Quichotte (2019) as intertexts

Abstract

This research paper aims at exploring the ways in which Cervantes' iconic novel led Rushdie's newest novel to appear. In other words, this research focalized on showing the intertextual relation between the two aforementioned works. Intertextualty is the main factor that permitted Rushdie to develop the themes, characters, and narrative techniques of his novel on the basis of another previously written one. He built his novel on the classical solid work which is El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha, Moreover, in this research, we tried to show that both novels illustrate the theme of chivalry, which is a cultural manual that prescribes how men potentially should treat women and provide them protection and love. Besides, they also share the quest to gain their beloved. Consequently, we found it substantial to review the characters in relation to the theme of chivalry. By providing a comparison between the main important characters of both novels in relation to the chosen theory, we revealed how the chivalric code of conduct; behavior and values have shifted from the medieval knight in Cervantes' Don Quixote to a modern gentleman in Rushdie's Quichotte. Finally, we concluded that both novels fit our endeavor in relation to the theme of chivalry. Even though they are from different epochs, different cultures, and written in different languages, but when it comes to chivalry, they still share the same principals, codes, and values