Sunday, October 30, 2011

Ten of the best literary women dressed as men

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best women dressed as men in literature.

One book on his list:
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Out in the wilderness, Don Quixote's friends are looking for the deluded knight. They meet Dorothea, a young woman wearing male clothing. She tells her tragic story – she has been seduced then discarded by a rich man's son and has adopted this disguise in order to flee.
Read about another entry on the list.

Don Quixote was the second most popular book among prisoners at the U.S. base at Guantánamo Bay. It is on John Mullan's list of ten of the best books written in prison.

Paul Auster always returns to Don Quixote; Claire Messud hasn't read it.

--Marshal Zeringue