Describe in detail the literary and cultural context in which Don Quijote was written, including the relationships between the novel and its literary antecedents (such as the chivalric, the picaresque, the pastoral, and Moorish novels), as well as the history of the comic vs. tragic interpretations of Don Quijote.

Describe, in detail and using pertinent critical/theoretical vocabulary, the stylistic, narratological, and generic innovations Cervantes uses to create in Don Quijote what some have termed the first modern novel.

Outline the realist and the metafictional tendencies of Don Quijote, and discuss in detail the impact the novel has had on the development of these novelistic modes in subsequent literature.

Express one's insights in a research paper which makes appropriate use of secondary sources and demonstrates mastery of MLA protocols.