Don Quixote Chapter 6 Summary

The Library Scrutiny

The curate and the barber examine Don Quixote’s library and decide which books to save or condemn to the fire.

A low, book-choked chamber of floor-to-ceiling shelves bearing a hundred well-bound volumes; leather spines, gilt edges and overturned folios form a cluttered maze. An open lattice window admits a shaft of failing daylight and a single lantern waits on a scarred table while dust motes hang in the air over scattered manuscripts.
A low, book-choked chamber of floor-to-ceiling shelves bearing a hundred well-bound volumes; leather spines, gilt edges and overturned folios form a cluttered maze. An open lattice window admits a shaft of failing daylight and a single lantern waits on a scarred table while dust motes hang in the air over scattered manuscripts.

Summary

A detective-like search of Don Quixote’s library begins while he sleeps. The curate obtains the keys from the niece and, accompanied by the barber and the housekeeper, inspects more than a hundred volumes, large and small. The housekeeper performs a comic act of ritual purification with holy water before they start. The group debates each title’s influence, flinging many volumes out the window into the yard to form a pile for burning while sparing a few they judge worthy.

The men read titles aloud and argue over merits: foundational romances like Amadis of Gaul, spinoffs such as Esplandian and Amadis of Greece, and many other chivalric adventures earn immediate condemnation. The curate sometimes shows nuance—pardoning a few for style or national pride—and reserves certain books for the barber to keep. They distinguish chivalric romances from pastoral and poetic works, sparing notable modern and classical pieces (e.g., Tirante el Blanco, Montemayor’s Diana, and various heroic and lyrical poems) while consigning most popular chivalry to destruction. The chapter ends with the curate lamenting the near-burning of an admired poetic work, showing his mixed judgments and taste.

Key events

  1. The curate obtains the library keys from the niece while Don Quixote sleeps.
  2. Housekeeper sprinkles holy water and they begin examining the books.
  3. They throw many chivalric romances out the window to be burned in the yard.
  4. The curate spares some books (Amadis, Palmerin of England) after debate.
  5. They find and praise Tirante el Blanco and other respected poetic works.
  6. Pastoral and modern poetry are mostly spared while most chivalry is condemned.

Chapter 6 in pictures

A narrow, dim parish chamber lined with shelves of battered folios and leather-bound tomes; a heavy oak table strewn with folded papers, an inkpot, and a snuffed candle that throws long shadows across a crucifix on the wall. Dust motes hang in the slanting late-morning light filtering through a small leaded window, the room smelling faintly of wax and old vellum.
A narrow, dim parish chamber lined with shelves of battered folios and leather-bound tomes; a heavy oak table strewn with folded papers, an inkpot, and a snuffed candle that throws long shadows across a crucifix on the wall. Dust motes hang in the slanting late-morning light filtering through a small leaded window, the room smelling faintly of wax and old vellum.
A sun-warmed village courtyard of pale stone and whitewashed walls; long wooden trestle tables stand empty now, scattered with overturned earthen jugs, folded cloths and a tangle of dried garlands. Lanterns hang from a lintel and a thin ribbon of smoke drifts up into a late golden sky, the cobbles still holding the heat of the day.
A sun-warmed village courtyard of pale stone and whitewashed walls; long wooden trestle tables stand empty now, scattered with overturned earthen jugs, folded cloths and a tangle of dried garlands. Lanterns hang from a lintel and a thin ribbon of smoke drifts up into a late golden sky, the cobbles still holding the heat of the day.
A moonlit, book-lined bedroom in Casa del Hidalgo: Don Quixote lies sprawled and fast asleep in a narrow bed while The Priest and The Barber stand in the doorway, keys in hand and lantern light highlighting their determined faces. Shelves of leather-bound volumes loom behind them, hinting at the source of the night's mission.
A moonlit, book-lined bedroom in Casa del Hidalgo: Don Quixote lies sprawled and fast asleep in a narrow bed while The Priest and The Barber stand in the doorway, keys in hand and lantern light highlighting their determined faces. Shelves of leather-bound volumes loom behind them, hinting at the source of the night's mission.
Chaos and comedy in the Library of the Ingenious Gentleman as a stout housekeeper hurls armfuls of heavy, gilded tomes out of a high window toward the courtyard below; several volumes are frozen mid-air, paper edges fluttering and titles visible as they tumble. The Priest gestures in judgment while The Barber stoops to pick up a fallen book and squints at its title, laughter and zeal mixed on the men's faces.
Chaos and comedy in the Library of the Ingenious Gentleman as a stout housekeeper hurls armfuls of heavy, gilded tomes out of a high window toward the courtyard below; several volumes are frozen mid-air, paper edges fluttering and titles visible as they tumble. The Priest gestures in judgment while The Barber stoops to pick up a fallen book and squints at its title, laughter and zeal mixed on the men's faces.
A sudden beat of reverent excitement: The Barber stoops as a single book slides to his feet — the cover reads 'Tirante el Blanco' — and The Priest seizes it with bright-eyed exultation, pages splayed. Around them, other volumes are stacked for the bonfire, but both men freeze as if they've uncovered a small treasure amid the wreckage of discarded chivalry.
A sudden beat of reverent excitement: The Barber stoops as a single book slides to his feet — the cover reads 'Tirante el Blanco' — and The Priest seizes it with bright-eyed exultation, pages splayed. Around them, other volumes are stacked for the bonfire, but both men freeze as if they've uncovered a small treasure amid the wreckage of discarded chivalry.

Analysis

This chapter stages a comic but important inventory that both satirizes and defines the cultural stakes of Don Quixote’s madness: books of chivalry are treated as dangerous contagions to be purged. The scene functions as a running catalogue of contemporary and classical literature, allowing Cervantes to voice literary judgment through the curate and barber. Their debate exposes competing criteria—moral danger, literary merit, national pride, and personal friendship—revealing that censorship is as subjective as literary taste. The chapter advances characterization by showing the curate’s learned but paternalistic authority and the barber’s practical deference; the niece and housekeeper add popular perspectives (fear, superstition, relish for burning). Structurally, the episode clears space—both literally and symbolically—by removing textual causes of Don Quixote’s delusions, while also allowing Cervantes to defend certain genres (pastoral, heroic verse) and single out exceptional works (Tirante el Blanco, Montemayor’s Diana). The act of naming many works and authors creates intertextual richness and invites readers to weigh the novel’s own relation to those traditions. The chapter foreshadows ongoing questions about books’ power, the line between fiction and life, and who has authority to judge literature; its comic tone masks a serious meditation on cultural taste, censorship, and literary legacy.

Important quotes

“Here, your worship, señor licentiate, sprinkle this room; don’t leave any magician of the many there are in these books to bewitch us in revenge for our design of banishing them from the world.”

the housekeeperThe housekeeper offers holy water and a sprinkler, comically treating books as sources of witchcraft to be purged.

“Take it home with you and read it, and you will see that what I have said is true.”

the curateAfter praising Tirante el Blanco at length, the curate instructs the barber to keep and read it, revealing his selective admiration.

“To all this the barber gave his assent, and looked upon it as right and proper, being persuaded that the curate was so staunch to the Faith and loyal to the Truth that he would not for the world say anything opposed to them.”

NarratorNarrator observes the barber’s deference to the curate’s judgments, highlighting authority and irony in their book-burning decisions.

Characters in Chapter 6

  • Master Nicholas
  • The Barber
  • the curate
  • the niece
  • the housekeeper
  • Amadis of Gaul
  • Sergas de Esplandian
  • Amadis of Greece
  • Don Olivante de Laura
  • Florismarte of Hircania
  • The Knight Platir
  • The Knight of the Cross
  • Reinaldos of Montalvan
  • Turpin
  • Bernardo del Carpio
  • Roncesvalles
  • Palmerin de Oliva
  • Palmerin of England
  • Don Belianis
  • Tirante el Blanco
  • Don Kyrieleison of Montalvan
  • Thomas of Montalvan
  • Fonseca
  • Placerdemivida
  • Reposada
  • Hipolito
  • Jorge de Montemayor
  • Gil Polo
  • Antonio de Lofraso
  • The Shepherd of Iberia
  • Nymphs of Henares
  • The Enlightenment of Jealousy
  • Pastor de Fílida
  • Lopez de Maldonado
  • Miguel de Cervantes
  • Don Alonso de Ercilla
  • Juan Rufo
  • Christobal de Virués
  • Angelica
  • Ovid

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