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| | The Washington Diplomat |
 | | Don Quixote the book was every bit as big and monumental an achievement as anything produced in Europe in its time: It was one of the first novels, and it dealt with complicated themes of modernism, cynicism, idealism, fashion, literature, fiction versus reality, idealism versus practicality and opportunism versus goodness of heart. |
 | | But Quixote has survived, not so much as a Spanish symbol, character or creation, but as a universal man and figure: Tilting at windmills has become a lexicon phrase that suggests a somehow admirable but hopeless task for the always dwindling ranks of idealists. |
 | | Don Quixote and his sidekick have long ago moved into the realm of popular culture, in film, on stage, even in ballet, although here they are on the periphery of the athleticism of youthful dancers. |
| www.washdiplomat.com /02-02/b2_02_02.html (605 words) |
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