This article deals with the first French translation of Quichotte in 1605. Published
by Cesar Oudin in 1614, the text struggles to free itself from its source and in addition
features numerous annotations in the margin.
After reviewing Oudin’s work as a Hispanist, the article concentrates on the
role and contents of these notes, demonstrating that they are not annotations in
the usual sense because they do not necessarily clarify the text but reflect on the
art of translation as such or refer to lexicography or Spanish culture. One might
therefore conclude that this is more the work of a Hispanist lato sensu than that
of a translator.
