Alonso Quixano

Alonso Quijano (; spelled Quixano in English and in the Spanish of Cervantes' day, ) is the personal name of the famous fictional

hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

(lowest nobility caste) who is better known as Don Quijote, a name he invents after either falling into or feigning insanity. Alonso Quijano/Don Quijote is the leading character of the 1605/1615 novel ''

Don Quijote de la Mancha Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

'', written by

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best kno ...

. At the outset of the work (Chapter 1 of Part I) we are informed that there is confusion about what his name is. Some (imaginary) authors, the text says, disagree about whether his name was Quijada ("jaw") or Quesada, although by reasoning ("conjeturas verosímiles") one could arrive at the name Quijana. At this point, Quijano is not even mentioned as a possibility, nor is Alonso, hinting the reader into one of the most notable yet purposefully obfuscated examples of an

unreliable narrator An unreliable narrator is a narrator whose credibility is compromised. They can be found in fiction and film, and range from children to mature characters. The term was coined in 1961 by Wayne C. Booth in ''The Rhetoric of Fiction''. While unr ...

. In Chapter 49 of Part I he tells us that he was a direct descendant of Gutierre Quijada. His "real" name of Alonso Quijano is only revealed (invented) in the last chapter of Part II, and with the stated purpose of demonstrating the falseness of the spurious Part II of the pseudonymous

Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda is the pseudonym of a man who wrote a sequel to Cervantes' ''Don Quixote'', before Cervantes finished and published his own second volume. The identity of Avellaneda has been the subject of many theories, but there i ...

, in which work the protagonist is Martín Quijada. Knights in the chivalric books Alonso Quijano read, which reading caused his madness, have

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

s. In Chapter 19 of Part I his squire

Sancho Panza Sancho Panza () is a fictional character in the novel ''Don Quixote'' written by Spanish author Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605. Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote and provides comments throughout the novel, known as ''sanchismos'', ...

invents his first nickname, the hard-to-translate "Caballero de la Triste Figura": knight of miserable (''triste'') appearance (''figura''). Sancho explains its meaning: Don Quijote is the worst-looking man he has ever seen, thin from hunger and missing most of his teeth. After an encounter with lions, Don Quijote himself invents his second nickname, "Knight of the Lions", in Part II, Chapter 17. Both titles reference famous knights: ''Ysaie le Triste'', the son of

Tristan and Iseult Tristan and Iseult, also known as Tristan and Isolde and other names, is a medieval chivalric romance told in numerous variations since the 12th century. Based on a Celtic legend and possibly other sources, the tale is a tragedy about the illic ...

, and

Yvain, the Knight of the Lion , original_title_lang = fro , translator = , written = between 1178 and 1181 , country = , language = Old French , subject = Arthurian legend , genre = Chivalric romance , fo ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Quijano, Alonso Literary characters introduced in 1605 Don Quixote characters Fictional Spanish people Fictional knights Male characters in literature