A Literary Companion to Don Quijote

This literary companion to Don Quijote de la Mancha represents works that influenced Cervantes and/or to which he makes reference in the novel. These works, written in either prose or verse and published between the late 15th and the early 17th centuries, demonstrate the wide range of texts that Cervantes knew and had at his disposal. The great majority of these texts refer to chivalry, but others, like the Spanish pastoral romances and the picaresque inform episodes in both parts of the novel. Editors of Cervantes' masterpiece often cite these texts, but until now, there appears to be no one volume in which the student can locate and read, for example, selections from Amadís, Belianís, or Tirant. While these texts offer delightful reading, most undergraduate students do not have the time required to read such lengthy tales nor do they have experience with the linguistic difficulties that these old texts often present. To facilitate reading, I have modernized some difficult forms and spellings while retaining as much of the original language and syntax as possible, thereby maintaining the flavor of the texts. I hope that glosses and footnotes aid in the understanding of especially difficult passages.
~ David G. Burton, from the Introduction