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Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

7.3
A Spanish writer who wrote Don Quixote and helped create the modern novel
  • proper noun
: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
  • Many scholars consider Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's 'Don Quixote' to be the first modern European novel.

Examples

  • Many consider Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra the father of the modern novel.

  • The legacy of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra continues to influence writers and artists around the world.

  • Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Spanish language.

  • Did you know Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra wrote 'Don Quixote'?

  • Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Spanish language.

  • Many scholars consider Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's 'Don Quixote' to be the first modern European novel.

  • The legacy of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra continues to influence writers and artists around the world.

Synonyms

Cervantes
vsMiguel de Cervantes Saavedra
  • Literature
11 4.8

A Spanish writer who wrote Don Quixote and helped shape the modern novel

uses wording that stresses a greater overall impact on novel development
Cervantes Saavedra
vsMiguel de Cervantes Saavedra
  • Literature
7.7

Spanish writer who wrote Don Quixote, a novel that makes fun of old ideas about knights

is framed as having a stronger more profound influence on the modern novel

Surface Forms

Morphology

Miguel + de + Cervantes + Saavedra

This is a personal proper name rather than a compositional phrase: knowing the constituents ('Miguel', 'de', 'Cervantes', 'Saavedra') does not let a B1 learner infer the referent is a Spanish writer or the 'father of the modern novel'. Proper names are referential and language-specific (and 'de' only signals a name component), so the meaning cannot be derived from the parts.

Etymology

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a Spanish writer best known for the book 'Don Quixote', which tells of a man who attacks windmills because he thinks they are giants. That strong picture of a man fighting windmills is an easy memory hook and helps explain why Cervantes is seen as one of the first writers of the modern novel.