Novel 1: "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes (95 points)

The first book on the list of Daniel S. Burt's "Novel 100: The Greatest Novels of All Time" is Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.  Many similar lists do not rate Don Quixote this high, if at all.  So, at first, I found this an odd pick, but was excited to have an excuse to read it, as I never had.  As I got into the book I realized that it was more a part of my life than I knew.

The book itself was quite easy to read, and accessible, which is saying something seeing as it is about 400 years old.  As I read, I began to see pre-figures of characters that I now know in more current literature and pop-culture, including the knights in Monty Python's 'Holy Grail' and the charming animal sidekicks (similar Sancho) in many Disney movies.  I found this fascinating and it enhanced my reading experience.  I also began to see specific references to Don Quixote in other reading I did, references which to this point had gone over my head.  Quixote is also a common figure in art, I began to notice. 

Don Quixote is, according to some, the original novel, and in it the germ of many other novels is found.  Beyond simply being the 'first' novel, Don Quixote is also profound in its commentary on the interplay between reality and fiction, and human perception of such.  What is the 'really real' anyway?  Are we not more than ever fixated on our own silly, romantic quests?  Are we not, as much as ever, impressionable to the stories of media that contort our realities today?  This, I think, is the timelessness and genius of Don Quixote, the use of media (in this case, the novel) to critique media and explore the tensions within.  So Cervantes gets the last laugh.  He gets to poke fun at the romantic, shapeless tropes of literature that impacted Quixote's view of reality, while creating a new a character-type within that genre that helps us laugh at ourselves and reflect on the genre, and life itself.

All in all, a great book, worth reading if only for it's historic importance within literature itself.  Beyond that, a helpful launching point from which to reflect on the nature of reality, and literature's role in shaping our perception of the world, for good or ill.  I'm glad I read this book, and I believe it deserves its place on the top 100, if not number 1.  I'll have the read the other 99 before I make my final judgement!

Epicness: 24.5
- This is, arguably, the first novel.  Hard to get more epic than that
Enjoyability: 23.5
- Suprisingly so!  Filled with little nuggets.
Exploration of the human condition: 23.5
- Definitely exploration of humanity's perception of reality.
Eloquence: 23.5
- A poetic masterpiece, but their were points where, for me, it got a bit flowery.