Don Quixote demonstrates the modern problem of "technology addiction," according to an article by Dennis Hlynka. Don Quixote acts out what he's read in his books, similar to the way some people today claim the video games make children more violent, or TikTok encourages people to participate in dangerous trends. Don Quixote portrays a rather severe case of this affliction, as most people are still able to discern reality from fiction. Still, it is rather interesting that this problem from 400 years ago persists today.

Source: Hlynka, Denis. “Don Quixote and the Beginnings of Technology Addiction.” Educational Technology, vol. 50, no. 4, 2010, pp. 62–63, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44429847. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022.

One of the knights Don Quixote stirves to imitate. Amandis of Gaul, or Amadís de Gaula, is a chivlaric work published in 1508, and tells the story of a prince of gaul and his lover, an heir to the British throne. The work served to bridge the medieval and renaissance periods (Triplette, 41.) Cervantes mentions this and other works to illustrate the ideals that Don Quixote is trying to live out on his adventures.

Source: Triplette, Stacey. “Women’s Lives and Women’s Literacy in Amadís de Gaula.” Chivalry, Reading, and Women’s Culture in Early Modern Spain: From Amadís de Gaula to Don Quixote, Amsterdam University Press, 2018, pp. 41–80, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvcszzjm.4. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022.

Picrochole is named for pikros, which, according to the theory of humors that Rabelais undoubtedly studied as a doctor, "Embodies the characteristics of black bile" (Schwartz.) According to the theory, black bile is associated with melancholy mood and foul temperament. Indeed, Picrochole embodies this when he flies into a rage and orders an attack without investigating the cake-bakers complaints. Within the larger picture of the story, he represents the evil and unchecked impulse that exists in the aristocracy.

Source: Schwartz, Jerome. “Gargantua’s Device and the Abbey of Theleme: A Study in Rabelais’ Iconography.” Yale French Studies, no. 47, Yale University Press, 1972, pp. 232–42, https://doi.org/10.2307/2929413.

Seville is a city in the southwest Iberian Peninsula of Spain. It was first built in the 8th century. The city "played a crucial role in [Spain's] expansion" during the 16th century, as much of the newly developed trade routes to the Americas were managed from there (Bowers.) Many of the places in Gargantua and Pantagruel are fictitious, so the addition of real-world locations balances that out and lends the story a small amount of believability.

Source: Bowers, Kristy Wilson. “Early Modern Seville: Balancing Growth and Governance.” Plague and Public Health in Early Modern Seville, vol. 26, Boydell & Brewer, 2013, pp. 15–29, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7722/j.ctt31nhrj.6.

In Greek mythology, Charon is the ferryman of the underworld. It was tradition in ancient Greek and Rome to bury the deceased with a coin so they may pay Charon to ferry them across the River Styx (Steven, 215.) Charon's inclusion in Inferno is very interesting, as it represents the intersection of Christian and Greek tradition. One would think that these two traditions have different "hells," but by alluding to Greek characters and locations, Dante is implying that the Christian Hell and the Greek Underworld are one and the same.

Stevens, Susan T. “Charon’s Obol and Other Coins in Ancient Funerary Practice.” Phoenix, vol. 45, no. 3, Classical Association of Canada, 1991, pp. 215–29, https://doi.org/10.2307/1088792.

The color green is central to the story. Green represents many things that often contradict each other: good health and toxins, or life and decay. The Green Knight embodies this contradictory symbolism here, by continuing to live after he has been beheaded, living in defiance of death. This symbolism pops up again in the Green Chapel, where Gawain also survives a blow that should have killed him, thanks to the protection of the magic green girdle.

Grovier, Kelly. “The colour that means both life and death” BBC Culture, www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180709-the-colour-that-means-both-life-and-death. Accessed 18 Mar. 2022.

Parabraham can be likened to the God of abrahamic religions; He manifests differently based on traditions, but he is the supreme God of gods. "Parabrahma is independent, and His divine power prevails over all. He is the creator, sustainer, and destroyer. He is the only controller of infinite universes. He is above maya and controls it with His power. Through His association, jivas and ishwars can become divine. In His transcendental form, He has a human form and resides in His divine abode called Aksharadhãm. In His immanent form, He pervades Aksharbrahma, ishwars, jivas, mãyã, and infinite universes. Parabrahma is also present as antaryãmi and sãkshi, or witness in each of us. " Parabrahma. BAPS. (n.d.). Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.baps.org/Spiritual-Living/Hindu-Beliefs/Parabrahma.aspx

Brahmacharya, focusing your senses on the inward self by denying physical pleasures. "for Ananda monastics means always to hold one’s physical sense-pleasures in rein, and to strive to direct one’s energy from the senses to soul-consciousness, rather than the reverse. The practice and vows of brahmacharya include, in place of the normal social emphasis on the human marriage relationship, developing only the deepest relationship with God. For Ananda monks and nuns, brahmacharya also includes not having personal friendships with those of the opposite sex, and the practice of celibacy." Vows. Vows | Ananda Monastery. (n.d.). Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://anandamonastery.org/vows/