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The Female Quixote
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The Female Quixote

novel by Lennox
Written by
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The Female Quixote is a novel by Charlotte Lennox, published in 1752. It was admired by literary figures like Samuel Johnson and Henry Fielding. The novel is a response to the influence of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote.12

In The Female Quixote, the protagonist, Arabella, reads too many chivalric romances and begins to believe she is a knight-errant herself. This leads her to misinterpret everyday situations as grand adventures, causing comedic and often embarrassing misunderstandings. The novel explores themes of illusion versus reality and the impact of literature on an individual's perception of the world. Lennox's work, along with others like Richard Graves' The Spiritual Quixote, engaged with Cervantes' influential ideas about the novel form.3245

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6 Britannica Sources
  1. Miguel de Cervantes - Importance and influence
  2. Charlotte Lennox
  3. Miguel de Cervantes - Don Quixote and critical traditions
  4. Spanish literature - The novel
  5. Don Quixote
  6. English literature - Other novelists

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