In a village of La Mancha, the name of which I have no desire to call to mind, there lived not long since one of those gentlemen that keep a lance in the lance-rack, an old buckler, a lean hack, and a greyhound for coursing … You must know, then, that the above-named gentleman whenever he was at leisure (which was mostly all the year round) gave himself up to reading books of chivalry with such ardor and avidity that he almost entirely neglected the pursuit of his field-sports, and even the management of his property …
—A. Author, B. Book
This a lovely opening paragraph to a masterpiece. So descriptive that even if you don’t know his name, you know him. Can you guess his name?
This isn’t a game I’m going to play often, at least not in This Beautiful Sentence because these authors should be proud of and praised for their little gems. But in this case, I’d like to let you guess as an exercise that I hope will make you think about all the cultural knowledge you have, even if you don’t realize it’s there.
You may have never read this book, but even so, you almost certainly have heard of it. Even if you don’t even know the name, you probably know the story, or at least you’ve come across its impact on something else you’ve read or watched. That’s what makes a classic a classic: its roar shakes the windows of a thousand authors and sets their ears ringing and its impact reverberates in countless other good works by authors who felt it.
If you already know it, that’s great. Point proven. If not, you have a chance to read that paragraph the way a good reader should, looking not just at the words but why they’re there, what they show, why those ones were picked. That paragraph is riddled with clues, from the simple and obvious “La Mancha” to it ending with an introduction to someone who reads so many books on chivalry he loses contact with the world. If you know the plot (and its eponymous main character), the name is given away right there.
If you need another clue, take a look at the picture I chose for this one. And if you still don’t know, don’t worry: next week, I’ll give you the answer and this week you had a chance to introduce yourself to being an active reader. Active reading, not just consuming, leads to active writing.
Good luck!
Next week: The answer, plus Haruki Murakami and the value of old books
See the index for what’s been posted and what’s to come.
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