代写留学生文学论文-有关《唐吉可德》的书评论文-Sample of a Good Diary Entry
Sample of a Good Diary Entry
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LTCS1006: Reading Diary [no.], Entry [no.]: What does Dulcinea in Don Quixote [title of book is italicized) represent as a character?
The transformation of Don Quixote into a knight-errant could not be complete without a lady love to whom he could devote his acts of valour (29). [note: page reference] While this role was originally assigned to a peasant girl from a nearby village (Aldonza Lorenzo), she soon evolves into Dulcinea de Toboso, a matchless beauty whose intelligence, grace and chastity far exceeds others. Quixote goes as far as to describe her as, “the sun of beauty and the whole of heaven in one person” (544) [note: page reference in a quote] whom he seeks as “being exactly as a lady ought to be if she is thought to possess all the qualities needed to make her famous throughout the world” (707). Throughout the second part of the book, she becomes even further detached from her peasant roots when Don Quixote tells Sancho, “in all the days of my life I have never seen the peerless Dulcinea and have never crossed the threshold of her palace, and am enamoured only by hearsay of her fame as a beautiful and intelligent lady” (540). This idea is supported by the duchess when she says, “We understand [from the history of Don Quixote] that you’ve never seen lady Dulcinea, and that no such person exists, but that she’s a creature of fantasy whom you conceived and to whom you gave birth in your mind, and provided with all the charms and perfections that you chose” (707). This, in conjunction with the pair’s inability to find her within Toboso, indicates that any connection she once shared with Aldonza Lorenzo has been severed. What remains is the fictitious personification of Quixote’s dreams.
Quixote dedicates all his chivalrous actions to Dulcinea, and to an extent appears to gain mental fortitude from the idea of her support. In times of need, it is she whom Quixote believes can bring success and good fortune. Such an example is seen when Quixote descends into the Cave of Montesino and says”
O mistress of all my actions and movements, illustrious and peerless Dulcinea del Toboso! If it is possible for the prayers and supplications of your fortunate lover to reach your ears, I beg you in the name of your matchless beauty to listen to them; for their purpose is none other than to beg you not to deny me your favour and help, now that I stand so much in need of it. (635) [note: indent a quotation longer than four lines; no inverted commas]
Consistent with the proposal of Dulcinea as the embodiment of his dreams, Quixote fiercely defends her at every turn.
The enchantment of Dulcinea into an odorous, masculine peasant girl appears to represent reality permeating the ideologies Quixote has adopted. This tends to mark the beginning of a decline in enthusiasm, as seen by Quixote abandoning Sancho to assailant attacks (677), staying with the Duke and Duchess for a prolonged period of time, and choosing at times not to involve himself in the woes of strangers. His discouragement is further seen in the cave of Montescino, when Quixote cannot give Dulcinea the money she requires, nor can g=he follow her into the place of beauty (646). This could represent Quixote’s doubts about being able to live up to and follow the path of a true knight errant.
The lecture wrote:
• relevant references from the primary text;
• good connections between passages;
• clear understanding of the reading;
• correct referencing;
• well written in clear and comprehensible English.
Mark: 6/7.5
You can see that the student backed up each of his/her observations by quoting directly from the primary text./ This is a scientific procedure and should apply to every discipline, including literary criticism. Note that plot details have been kept to a minimum. The student uses them not to retell the story but to comment critically upon it.
This is a successful diary entry because it combines close textual reading with reflective analysis.