Category: Friendships

My first post for this subset of examples in literature covered the transformational friendship of The Inklings. I also referenced the first “modern novel” published in 1605, Don Quixote. Considered one of the greatest novels of all time, it appears on many lists of books about friendship I discovered during my research for this series, New Year; New Types of Friends. This epic Spanish story features the relationship between Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, who was a friend who helps keep things real, despite the trouble he causes. Now, I will admit that I don’t ever recall reading Don Quixote so I placed a hold for a copy at my local lbrary. But as I read excerpts and commentaries about the novel, I see why we need other men to help us remember reality when we become disillusioned. About The Book  Don Quixote is a Spanish novel written by Miguel

As I continue my series, New Year; New Types of Friends, I’ll move into examples of friendships in literature. From what is considered the first modern novel, the 1605 tome, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, to John Steinbeck’s 1937’s book Of Mice and Men, many of the best-loved works of fiction in history feature stories about friendships that help transform the main characters. More recent literary giants such as Mark Twain, Arthur Conan Doyle, J.K. Rowling, and even cartoonist Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes fame (yes, even comics are considered literature!) have added great works about friendships.  So let’s start this next subset of friendships from literature, with two authors, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, who sharpened their viewpoints and deepened their friendship in a discussion group called The Inklings. About C.S. Lewis  Clive Staples Lewis (born November 29, 1898; died November 22, 1963) was a British writer

To wrap up this subset of examples of friendships in television, let me provide some snippets about other well-known sidekicks who made their friends better. Just as Andy Griffith needed Barney Fife and Oscar Madison needed Felix Unger, many of my previous examples in this subset needed a top-notch, second banana. Its why everyone needs a good sidekick among their friends. At the start of this series titled, New Year; New Types of Friends I suggested that all men need to reevaluate their friendships from time to time. Everyone will eventually realize that some friends may no longer be helping them grow. In fact, sometimes a bad sidekick may even stunt your personal growth or derail it. That’s when you need to determine it’s time for a new, even better, sidekick. Why a Sidekick In my Introduction post to the subsets with examples of real-life friendships, I linked to my