The Practice of Quixotism : Postmodern Theory and Eighteenth-Century Women's Writing

The Practice of Quixotism models how to think simultaneously about postmodern theory and eighteenth-century texts. The postmodern claim that we encounter reality only through cultural scripts of which we are unaware has a long history: eighteenth-century writers thought about this same possibility with the help of quixote figures, who view the real through texts they have read. Focusing on unorthodox quixote narratives written by eighteenth-century women, many now popular in today's classroom, The Practice of Quixotism will fascinate readers interested in recent theory, in eighteenth-century culture, in eighteenth-century women writers--or in the descendants of Don Quixote, who celebrated his 400th birthday in 2005. "The Practice of Quixotism models how to think simultaneously about postmodern theory and eighteenth-century texts. The postmodern claim that we encounter "reality" only through cultural scripts of which we are unaware has a long history: eighteenth-century writers thought about this same possibility with the help of quixote figures, who view the "real" through texts they have read. Focusing on unorthodox quixote narratives written by eighteenth-century women, many now popular in today's classroom, The Practice of Quixotism will fascinate readers interested in recent theory, in eighteenth-century culture, in eighteenth-century women writers--or in the descendants of Don Quixote, who celebrated his 400th birthday in 2005"--Publisher's website Using postmodern theory, The Practice of Quixotism explores eighteenth-century women's texts that use quixote narratives, which typically demand that individuals purge their minds of internalized fictions to insist instead that the reality we encounter is inevitably mediated by the texts we have read.