I am not officially doing the classics challenge this year, however, when I started the year I wanted to read 10 classics that are on my personal 'to read before I die list'. One of these was Don Quixote. It took me about 6 months of reading a few pages at a time to get through it....and I consider myself a fast reader! My overall impression of this book was, quite frankly, that it sucks. I don't understand why it is a classic. It was so repetitive and the characters so unsympathetic that I am left with the feeling that I learned nothing from forcing myself to finish this book.

I am hoping that someone can give me a few ideas about what makes Don Quixote a classic or what are the underlying themes or symbolism that I have obviously missed. I get that the author is making fun of chivalry and all that......but honestly this book could have been a couple of hundred pages shorter!

I read for the Classics Challenge.  I can give you NO insights.  I can only tell you that I'm glad that I read it, just because it is a book that everyone knows OF (and now, I can say that I read it).  Honestly, 50 pages would be enough of this book.  I agree with you about it being repetititve. 

Well I'm glad it was not just me at least LOL!

It's considered a classic because it was the first work of literature that was not an epic like Gilgamesh or The Odyssey that described heroic events, gods, battles etc. but just a common, flawed protagonist living his life.