Definition of Setting
The novel is set in Spain during the early 17th century. While Don Quixote’s journeys take him to various major cities in Spain, including Toledo and Barcelona, many parts of the novel are set in and around La Mancha, a region in the center of Spain. The opening lines of the first chapter of the novel establish this setting:
In a village in La Mancha, the name of which I cannot quite recall, there lived not long ago one of those country gentlemen or hidalgos who keep a lance in a rack, an ancient leather shield, a scrawny hack and a greyhound for coursing. A midday stew with rather more shin of beef than leg of lamb, the leftovers for supper most nights, lardy eggs on Saturdays, lentil broth on Fridays and an occasional pigeon as a Sunday treat ate up three-quarters of his income.