- the historical importance of La Mesta and the rights-of-way created by their migration patterns (continued from our discussion of the pastoral tradition in Spain from our previous meeting);
- what type—or what extent—of madness Don Quixote is exhibiting (e.g., "a combination madman who has many lucid intervals," p. 571);
- Don Quixote's lack of sustenance;
- the relative lack of violence and abundance of humor in Part 2 so far;
- Don Quixote's long monologues about poetry and, later, the science of knight-errantry ("his speech was coherent, elegant, and eloquent, and his actions nonsensical, reckless, and foolish," p. 565);
- Sancho's increasing good sense and deployment of proverbs.
On that last topic, we ended by wondering about the difference between proverbs, maxims, and sayings. Beth sent me the following definition from the Random House Dictionary of America's Popular Proverbs and Sayings (2nd edition), by Gregory Titelman: "Proverbs are the collective wisdom of all nations, of all ages, of all times. A proverb typically expresses a commonplace thought in a succinct, often metaphorical way" (p. viii). She also quoted from the definition at Wikiquote, which I find particularly helpful:
Proverbs (from Latin: proverbium) are simple and concrete sayings popularly known and repeated, which express truths, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim. If a proverb is distinguished by particularly good phrasing, it may be known as an aphorism.
Finally, here are two new books related to our favorite errant hero and his illustrious author:
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