Today in class, I found our discussion of genre + Don Quixote of particular interest. We discussed the necessity of artists who attempt to illustrate the story to pick a particular genre, and stick with said genre in their interpretation.
In my own opinion, I find that what makes Don Quixote so successful, is it’s ability to fulfill the needs of many genres/categories. It seems to be almost “uncategorizable”. The book has been around for centuries, enjoyed by children and adults alike. It’s appeal to a wide variety of audiences suggests to me that each reader gets their own preferred genre out of the text (whether it’s romance, farce, satire, etc). Therefore, Don Quixote‘s “adaptability” could be something utilized by artists in their visual interpretations. Instead of sticking to one genre in a depiction, demonstrating the malleability of the text seems appropriate.
Do you guys agree? Is it possible to create successful artwork when appealing to a large variety of genres? Does an artist have to pick just one?
