Miguel de Cervantes' 'Don Quixote' (1605) is widely considered the first modern novel. It tells the story of an elderly man who becomes so obsessed with books about knights and chivalry that he loses his mind and sets out on a quest to revive knighthood. The novel is famous for the scene where Quixote 'tilts at windmills,' mistaking them for giants. This gave rise to the English word 'quixotic,' which describes someone who is idealistic to a point that is impractical or foolish. Cervantes wrote much of the book while he was in prison or struggling with poverty, and he used the story to satirize the popular, exaggerated romances of his time. The book’s blend of realism, humor, and tragedy changed literature forever, introducing the concept of the character who grows and changes over time.