Concept of “Quixoticism” in Work of Miguel de Unamuno

Abstract

The article is devoted to the concept of “quixoticism” by M. de Unamuno. It is determined that Unamuno’s Quixoteism was formed on the basis of the philosophy of F. M. Dostoevsky, with which M. de Unamuno has much in common: the perception of the image of Don Quixote as a reflection of the national character. It is emphasized that the basic difference between these philosophies is the realism of the “Christ-like” image in F. M. Dostoevsky and the reality of the “quixotic” image, which goes beyond the artistic world in M. de Unamuno. It has been proven that Unamuno’s Quixoticism is essentially a religion that includes the main religious components, but Don Quixote lives on earth, while, unlike Christ, he is a man, a man with a divine beginning, a man who imitates God. The authors note that, despite the difference in approaches, both F. M. Dostoevsky and M. de Unamuno bow before the image of Don Quixote. Each of them sees in it a reflection of the national characteristics of the peoples to which the authors identify themselves (Russian and Spanish), as well as a biblical reference to Jesus Christ. It is determined that the distinguishing features of perception is the fact that the characters of F. M. Dostoevsky are striving for greater realism, while the characters of Unamuno are more real in their own way, even relative to its creator, and have a greater impact on the existence and spiritual development of “real” people than other “real” people.