Don Quixote is a novel by Miguel de Cervantes. The book, published in two parts (1605 and 1615). It was first written in Spanish, and soon afterwards was translated to English by Thomas Shelton. It is considered by many scholars to be the first modern novel. The main character, Don Quixote, is a paragon of chivalry, but in a deeply flawed and impractical way. Don Quixote is so influential as a character that the description of his behavior has entered the common vernacular as "quixotic." 