Don Quixote, page 21

"In short, our gentleman became so caught up in reading that he spend his nights reading from dusk till dawn and his days reading from sunrise to sunset, and so with too little sleep and too much reading his brains dried up, causing him to lose his mind."

Well, if we are to believe the narrator's assertion that in Don Quixote there is "absolutely no deviation from the truth," then I fear for my sanity as an English Lit major. :)

But, in all seriousness, the premise of Don Quixote, that he lost his mind reading his favorite books and wanting to live them, is relatable because there have been many books that I wished I could be transported into. I think anyone who loves reading has had some experience, whether it was with the Harry Potter series or something equally fascinating. My boyfriend really likes Star Wars books; he likes them because they transport him, they make him want to interact with that world and to be a part of it. And when I was reading Harry Potter, I would go to bed too late, thinking of the chapters in Hogwarts, and dream that I was there telling Harry not to be such a "prat" (because in my dream I'm also Brittish). Also, given the opportunity, I would don a hoop skirt, corset, and prance around like Scarlett O'Hara. I reread that book every now and then, just to relive the expirience. But, like drugs, I can't get the same high I got the first time, no matter how hard I try. I think that it's because avid readers have such a desire to be transported by their favorite stories that Don Quixote has enjoyed popularity and respect for several centuries.