알론소 키하노와 산초 판사는 왜 편력 여행을 떠나게 되었는가? : 『돈 키호테』에 나타난 근대인의 자본주의적 무의식

Abstract

Readers of Don Quixote tend to view the protagonist as a romantic idealist who dares to confront adversity, and Sancho Panza as an honorable squire loyal to his master. However, both the hidalgo Alonso Quijano and the peasant Sancho Panza were men of the modern era whose unconscious were shaped by the capitalist system. Hidalgo of this time, despite belonging to the nobility, were in unfavorable conditions, leading a vegetative life in small locales where they at least owned a house and some land. In comparison, knights—even wandering knights—despite having lost their peak military splendor by the late Middle Ages, still enjoyed prestige as a higher nobility. Therefore, for Alonso Quijano, becoming a knight-errant ultimately meant social ascension and an escape from the stagnant state of hidalgo. It was an intelligent and reasonable decision from a capitalist perspective. Sancho Panza, on the other hand, was a farmer or peasant living in miserable economic conditions. With few resources to escape his impoverished state, the peasant from La Mancha was easily persuaded by Don Quixote's exaggerated promises. However, throughout their adventures, Sancho pursues money, concerned about the well-being of his family, and at times deceives those around him. In the second volume of Don Quixote, Sancho's materialism becomes even more apparent after earning income from the adventures in the first volume. The materialistic unconscious of the protagonists is the crucial facet that allows Don Quixote to be considered the first modern novel.