The Practice of Quixotism models how to think simultaneously about postmodern theory and eighteenth-century texts. The postmodern claim that we encounter "reality" only through cultural scripts of which we are unaware has a long history: eighteenth-century writers thought about this same possibility with the help of quixote figures, who view the "real" through texts they have read. Focusing on unorthodox quixote narratives written by eighteenth-century women, many now popular in today's classroom, The Practice of Quixotism will fascinate readers interested in recent theory, in eighteenth-century culture, in eighteenth-century women writers-or in the descendants of Don Quixote, who celebrated his 400th birthday in 2005.