Don Quixote

Part I, Chap V, pg. 41
"and his madness made him recall that of Valdovinos and the Marquis of Mantua, when Carloto left him wounded in the highlands, a history know to children, acknowleged by youths, celerated, and even believed by the old, and despite all this, no truer than the miracles of Mohammed."

This passage reminded me of the idea of innocence that we often talk about in class, that children can understand something and believe it and not be hindered by what is real. The valliant Don Quixote has the same child-like innocence, but because he believes the stories, they are real to him. That's why he begins to recite the ballad of the "wounded Knight of the Wood". But by reciting the ballad, and being a wounded knight, he becomes the original "wounded Knight". By participating in the fictional histories of his knights he is making the fantasy real.