In the context of the sentence, the word "mania" refers to a strong obsession or excessive enthusiasm for something, which aligns best with the meaning of 2. fixation. The master is so consumed by his obsession with reading about the Knights of old that he goes so far as to sell his lands to finance this fixation.
from Don Quixote of the Mancha
The master himself was about fifty years old, a strong, hard-featured man with a withered face. He was an early riser, and had once been very fond of hunting. But now for a great portion of the year he applied himself wholly to reading the old books of Knighthood, and this with such keen delight that he forgot all about the pleasures of the chase, and neglected all household matters. His mania and folly grew to such a pitch that he sold many acres of his lands to buy books of the exploits and adventures of the Knights of old. These he took for true and correct histories, and when his friends the Curate of the village, or Mr. Nicholas the worthy Barber of the town, came to see him, he would dispute with them as to which of the Knights of romance had done the greatest deeds.
This sentence is from the passage.
"His mania and folly grew to such a pitch that he sold many acres of his lands to buy books of the exploits and adventures of the Knights of old."
Which meaning of the word mania is used in the sentence?
1. craving
2. fixation
3. wildness
4. yearning
1 answer