Document Type
Honors Paper
Advisor
Luis Gonzalez
Publication Date
2016
Abstract
Miguel de Cervantes wrote his most famous work, Don Quixote de La Mancha, in a prison cell after a life of great misfortune. The work he created, however, changed his fate, and to this day lives on as one of the most-read pieces of all time. Unique to Cervantes’s literary creation is the applicability of its themes across history. Though the setting is 16th-Century Spain, the topics of the work include aspects of psychopathology, personality, and aging. This synthesis of psychology, philosophy, and human character outlines concepts that would benefit clinicians in their understanding of geriatric patients, which is among one of many underserved populations in the medical field. This thesis advocates for the merge of literature with clinical study in order to gain insight into the factors that influence an aging person’s psychological state and quality of life before death. A deep analysis of psychological disorders and dysfunctional behaviors will be presented for protagonist Alonso Quijano (Don Quixote).
Recommended Citation
Sudol, Ida, "Psychological Pathology and Aging in Cervantes’s Don Quixote de La Mancha" (2016). Hispanic Studies Honors Papers. 3.
https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/hisphp/3
The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.