Cervantes across the Centuries  (pp. 136­78) in which he 
observes that: “The preoccupation with noting the effects of 
reading upon the vital processes of readers is characteristically 
Spanish.” Not only is this very fact the principal theme of Don  
Quixote :

          The effect of books (religious or profane) upon the 
     life of the reader is an ever-present theme in the letters of 
     the 16th century. The youth of Ignatius of Loyola was 
     spent very much in tune with the novels of chivalry, which 
     he was very curious and fond of reading. But chance 
     placed in his hands a life of Christ and a Flos Sanctorum . 
     Not only did he begin to find enjoyment, but his heart 
     also began to change, and he was filled with the desire to 
     imitate and put into action what he read. While still 
     undecided between earthly and heavenly values, he