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114-453: Benito María de los Dolores Pérez Galdós ( Spanish pronunciation: [beˈnito ˈpeɾeθ ɣalˈdos] ; 10 May 1843 – 4 January 1920) was a Spanish realist novelist. He was a leading literary figure in 19th-century Spain, and some scholars consider him second only to Miguel de Cervantes in stature as a Spanish novelist. Pérez Galdós was a prolific writer, publishing 31 major novels, 46 historical novels in five series , 23 plays, and

228-415: A costumbrista : inclined to realism with aspects of impressionism, he published Escenas montañosas ("Mountainous scenes"). Later, he would find his ideal formula for the novel, imbuing that costumbrism with a vision which conveyed his love for the landscape and the people of the mountains, with their passions and their characteristic language. In his first novels of this type ("idyllic novel"), he depicted

342-405: A socialist , looks for the cause of social problems in society, and of the individual's problems in biological heredity. Thus, Naturalism adopts a materialist and determinist concept of people as not morally responsible for their actions and the situations in which they are found, because these are determined by the environment and heredity. While the realist writer is conscious of what occurs,

456-457: A "human comedy" of the daily life of Madrid. They maintained progressive, but less provocative, themes. These books focus on the Spanish middle class, portrayed with precision and a certain melancholy. Significant works of this group include La de Bringas (The Bringas Woman), about social climbing ; Fortunata y Jacinta , his most important work; Miau , a dramatic vision of the bureaucracy of

570-622: A boy between 1817 and 1821. The popularity of The Pickwick Papers spawned many imitations and sequels in print as well as actual clubs and societies inspired by the club in the novel. One example still in operation is the Pickwick Bicycle Club of London, established in 1870, the year of Charles Dickens's death. Another, the Dickens Pickwick Club, was founded in 1976 by Cedric Dickens , the author's great-grandson. Other clubs, groups, and societies operating under

684-592: A career as an attorney in Madrid. He was editor of Revista Europea , where he published articles which he soon after compiled in Semblanzas literarias (1871). In 1885 he published the novel José , a realistic picture of the customs and manners of seafaring folk. After the death of José María de Pereda in 1905, Palacio Valdés assumed Pereda's position in the Real Academia Española . Palacio Valdés

798-550: A ceremony was held in which Pérez Galdós participated. The writer, now blind, explored her face with his hands and after recognizing her, he began to cry and said to the sculptor, a great friend of his, "Magnificent, my friend Macho, and how she looks like me! Early Novels Novelas Españolas Contemporáneas Later Novels Episodios Nacionales Plays Short stories Miscellaneous His novels have yielded many cinematic adaptations: Beauty in Chains ( Doña Perfecta )

912-436: A comfortable life, living first with two of his sisters and then at the home of his nephew, José Hurtado de Mendoza. He got up at sunrise and wrote regularly until ten o'clock in the morning, in pencil, because he considered the use of a pen a waste of time. He would then go for walks in Madrid to eavesdrop on other people's conversations and to gather details for his novels. He did not drink, but smoked leaf cigars incessantly. In

1026-479: A contemporary of the Generation of '98 , his worldly spirit differs from the asceticism and the culture of those writers. While it is true that towards the second half of the 19th century the novel evolved quickly towards Realism, this did not happen to poetry and to drama, whose transformation was less violent and still continued to be infused with Romanticism until the end of the century. This late Romanticism

1140-454: A display of documents, furniture, musical instruments, paintings and photos that belonged to the writer and his family. The aim of the museum is the conservation, study and dissemination of the legacy of Pérez Galdós. The management of the museum has supported international congresses, conferences and exhibitions, and has developed a publishing line. The museum also has a library with numerous works by Pérez Galdós in different languages, as well as

1254-464: A dramatization by Barry Campbell and Constance Cox with Freddie Jones as Mr. Pickwick. In 1997, BBC Radio 4 released a dramatization by Martyn Read with Clive Francis as Mr. Pickwick. There was an early attempt at a theatrical adaptation with songs by W. T. Moncrieff and entitled Samuel Weller, or, The Pickwickians , in 1837. This was followed in 1871 by John Hollingshead 's stage play Bardell versus Pickwick . The first successful musical

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1368-429: A genius, although his outspoken views on religion, social policies and politics stimulated strong opposition from political and religious authority figures. The Generation of '98 were strongly influenced by his writing, although they rebelled against his "chabacanería" or perceived vulgarity; Ramón del Valle-Inclán , for example, nicknamed him "Don Benito el garbancero" or the chick-pea man. However, it can be argued that

1482-628: A house that is now the Casa-Museo of Pérez Galdós. He was the tenth and last son of lieutenant colonel Don Sebastián Pérez and Doña Dolores Galdós. He was baptised Benito María de los Dolores at the church of San Francisco de Asís, ( es ) two days after his birth. Pérez Galdós studied at San Agustín school, where he was taught by teachers trained in the principles of the enlightenment . In 1862, after completing his secondary studies, he travelled to Tenerife to obtain his certificate in bachillerato in arts. That same year he moved to Madrid to start

1596-536: A law degree, which he did not complete. While at university, Pérez Galdós frequented the Ateneo of Madrid and other gatherings of intellectuals and artists. He became acquainted with life in Madrid and witnessed the political and historical events of the time, which were reflected in his journalistic works and in his early novels, The Golden Fountain Café ( La Fontana de oro ) (1870) and El audaz (1871). Pérez Galdós led

1710-453: A literary critic. His articles demonstrate his great knowledge and sound judgment (expressed on many occasions through scathing sarcasm). His articles, which made him a feared authority in the Spanish literary panorama, were compiled in volumes such as Solos de Clarín and Paliques . He also wrote short stories and novellas; he published more than seventy short works. Among the first short stories that he composed, Pipá (1879), which tells of

1824-516: A nun without vocation who does not renew her vows. Also notable is El pueblo perdido ( The Lost Village ), a dramatic history of a town ruined by mining. Vicente Blasco Ibáñez was born in Valencia in 1867. He harbored radical republican ideas for which he was repeatedly arrested and finally exiled. He was a deputy during seven sessions of the national legislature. In 1909 he left for Argentina in search of fortune, but his attempt failed. He supported

1938-515: A poetry in accordance with the moment: prosaic, simple, skeptical and in some cases ironic, with a moral that is usually trivial. Today it is considered to be simple by scholars. Campoamor explained his innovative ideas in Poética , where he says: Poetry is the rhythmic representation of a thought by means of an image, and expressed in a language that can be said in prose neither with more naturalness nor with fewer words... Only rhythm should separate

2052-599: A portrait of the writer by Joaquín Sorolla . Pérez Galdós was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1912 , but his opposition to religious authorities led him to be boycotted by conservative sectors of Spanish society, and traditionalist Catholics, who did not recognize his literary merit. Galdós was interested in politics, although he did not consider himself a politician. His political beginnings were liberal, and he later embraced republicanism and then socialism, under Pablo Iglesias Posse . Early on he joined

2166-556: A prototypical Spanish city steeped in tradition. Alas employed naturalistic techniques, but he did not paint squalid environs as did Zola ; instead, what predominates is a sense of pessimism, tempered by touches of tenderness and irony. In La Regenta individuals find themselves in conflict with their own consciences (particularly its protagonist Ana Ozores, whose character is similar to Emma Bovary, except that she comes across as more sympathetic and less conniving). Characters find themselves conflicted by duty and desire. Clarín's portrayal of

2280-403: A realist point of view and confronts those who maintain that the only purpose of evil in literature is to defeat it. Her style was energetic and she profoundly explored difficult social problems. Her most important works were novels such as Un viaje de novios ( A Honeymoon ), which narrates the story of a marriage between a mature man and a young, uncultured, but wealthy woman; or The tribune ,

2394-461: A republican, little by little his radicalism tempered, and he maintained a personal friendship with Alfonso XIII . In 1910 he began to lose his eyesight, and the expenses of his numerous paramours brought him to near-ruin. The Spanish government sought the Nobel Prize for him, but was opposed by a significant portion of the Spanish populace, including the Real Academia and the leadership of

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2508-494: A riot) and El Abuelo (The Grandfather), which was adapted into a 1998 film by José Luis Garci. Galdós's theater works are characterized by sincerity and non-conformism; although contemporary at the time they were written, some of his theater works sound dated by current standards. The impact of the National Episodes and many of his novels and plays was significant. Critics and writers of his time considered him to be

2622-444: A scene in the boudoir of a courtesan, and the un-Spanish attitude towards a wife's adultery. The Catholic press denounced the author as a perverse and wicked influence. The play ran for twenty nights. In 1901, his play Electra caused a storm of outrage and floods of equally hyperbolic enthusiasm. As in many of his works, Pérez Galdós targeted clericalism and the inhuman fanaticism and superstition that can accompany it. The performance

2736-469: A white woollen scarf wrapped around his neck, with a half-smoked cigar in his hand and, when seated, his German shepherd dog beside him. He was in the habit of wearing his hair cropped "al rape" and, apparently, suffered from severe migraines. By 1865, he was publishing articles in La Nación on literature, art, music, and politics. He completed three plays between 1861 and 1867, but none were published at

2850-530: A work which deals with family dramas during the Great War. Valencian works of Blasco are preferred by critics. He has been compared with Émile Zola because he shares with the French novelist a subversive attitude, a predilection for squalid environs, and a preoccupation with biological inheritance. He writes intensely and his style can be described as coarse, although it does not lack images of purity. Although

2964-405: Is a sequence of loosely related adventures written for serialization in a periodical. The action is given as occurring 1827–28, though critics have noted some seeming anachronisms. For example, Dickens satirized the case of George Norton suing Lord Melbourne in 1836. The novel's protagonist Samuel Pickwick , Esquire is a kind and wealthy old gentleman, the founder and perpetual president of

3078-488: Is considered his masterpiece is Peñas arriba (1895), whose descriptive bucolic style and casticismo seem antiquated today. In spite of that, José María de Pereda is considered a great narrator, possessed of great descriptive and epic capacity. Pedro Antonio de Alarcón was born in Guadix ( Granada ) in 1833. He was one of the authors principally responsible for the domination of realism over romantic prose at that time. He

3192-561: Is evident in his work. At the age of twenty-three, he began to use the pseudonym Clarín in his work. As a professor at the University of Oviedo in 1883, he defended republican ideas, but soon tired of politics. In 1892, a crisis of conscience renewed his faith in God, although he would not adhere to the extremes of Catholic orthodoxy. He died in Oviedo in 1901. Clarín had great prestige as

3306-432: Is in part a literary thriller, examining in forensic detail the question of whether the idea, character and physiognomy of Samuel Pickwick originated with Dickens, or with the original illustrator and instigator of the project, Robert Seymour. The conclusion of the narrator is that the accepted version of events given by Dickens and the publisher Edward Chapman is untrue. The novel was published in 19 issues over 20 months;

3420-462: Is more apparent than real; sometimes it lacks depth and the lyric exaltation to which the true romantic abandoned himself. This is due to the social reality of the moment: the time in which the bourgeoisie would consolidate the Restoration of 1875 . This society, which was laying the foundations of Capitalism and was taking the first steps of industrialization in the country, did not leave room for

3534-403: Is not a big enough category for Pickwick . It defined its own, a new one that we have learned to call 'entertainment'." The Pickwick Papers was published in 19 issues over 20 months, and it popularised serialised fiction and cliffhanger endings. Seymour's widow claimed that the idea for the novel was originally her husband's, but Dickens strenuously denied any specific input in his preface to

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3648-613: The Duke of Alba , as well as writers including Jacinto Benavente , Mariano de Cavia and José de Echegaray . Politicians such as Antonio Maura or Lerroux were not included in the board, nor were representatives of the Church, or the socialists. He had been blind since 1912, was in financial difficulties and increasingly troubled by illness. Pérez Galdós was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature for five years, 1912–16, but neither

3762-511: The Fleet Prison for debt. Pickwick learns that the only way he can relieve the suffering of Mrs Bardell is by paying her costs in the action against himself, thus at the same time releasing himself from the prison. Pickwick, Sam Weller, and his father Tony briefly reappeared in 1840 in the magazine Master Humphrey's Clock . Master Humphrey's Clock is the name of a literary club founded by Mr Humphrey, whose members read out stories to

3876-535: The regency until 1902, the year in which Alfonso's son Alfonso XIII began to reign. This literary movement began in France and its initiator was Émile Zola (1840–1902). This style descends from the positivist philosophy of Auguste Comte (1798–1857), the methods of the physiologist Claude Bernard (1813–1878), and many distinctive achievements of the modern spirit: democracy , experimental methods (Claude Bernard), and theories of heredity ( Charles Darwin ). Zola,

3990-419: The 1867 edition: "Mr. Seymour never originated or suggested an incident, a phrase, or a word, to be found in the book." Dickens was working as a Parliamentary reporter and a roving journalist at the age of 24, and he had published a collection of sketches on London life as Sketches by Boz . Publisher Chapman & Hall was projecting a series of "cockney sporting plates" by illustrator Robert Seymour. There

4104-568: The 19th century, while recognizing the creative superiority of Galdós. José María de Pereda was born in Polanco (province of Santander , present-day Cantabria ) in 1833. He belonged to an Hidalgo family, he traveled widely abroad, and he was a Carlist deputy, although later he dedicated himself to the cultivation of his lands and to literature. He maintained a friendship with Galdós, despite their opposing political ideologies. He died in 1906 in his home town. He began his literary production as

4218-686: The Allies during World War I (1914–1918); with the war as backdrop, he wrote Los cuatro jinetes del apocalipsis ( The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ), a novel of great worldwide success. He led the life of a cosmopolitan millionaire and many of his stories were adapted for Hollywood. He died in 1928 in Menton, Côte d'Azur, France. His remains were transferred to Valencia in 1933, where they were received triumphantly. Blasco produced an enormous number of novels. Works set in Valencia, so intensely loved by

4332-602: The Catholic Church. He died, blind, in 1920. Among the prolific works of Galdós are the Episodios Nacionales (National Episodes), a sprawling opus of 46 volumes in five distinct series. They depict a broad representation of contemporary Spanish history between the War of Independence and the Restoration , which serve as a backdrop for his stories. The first series, written between 1873 and 1875, includes

4446-560: The Club'." Imitations/plagiarisms published at the same time as Dickens's Pickwick Papers include G. W. M. Reynolds 's Pickwick Abroad; or, The Tour in France . A French translation by Eugénie Niboyet appeared in 1838 in a two-volume edition. It was entitled Le Club des Pickwistes, roman comique . Later French translations have used titles such as Aventures de Monsieur Pickwick . Benito Pérez Galdós published Aventuras de Pickwick ,

4560-522: The Cortes, and foreign minister. He wrote dramas, such as El haz de leña ( The bundle of firewood ), that deals with the theme of the prince Don Carlos , son of Philip II , a subject already treated by Schiller . He excelled in the field of poetry, where he was a prolific writer. Pickwick Papers The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (also known as The Pickwick Papers )

4674-654: The Moderate Party, and was an employee of the Treasury, governor of three Spanish provinces and a deputy in Parliament. He wrote treatises on philosophical subjects ( El absoluto ), dramatic plays, and poems of epic and philosophical pretensions ( Colón , El drama universal and El licenciado Torralba ). Nevertheless, his most personal creations are his small poems, like Humoradas , Doloras and Small poems . With them he tried to break with Romanticism, creating

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4788-554: The Pickwick Club. He suggests that he and three other "Pickwickians" should make journeys to places remote from London and report on their findings to the other members of the club. Their travels throughout the English countryside by coach provide the chief subject matter of the novel. A romantic misunderstanding with his landlady , the widow Mrs Bardell , results in one of the most famous legal cases in English literature, Bardell v. Pickwick , leading to them both being incarcerated in

4902-555: The Prime Minister Práxedes Mateo Sagasta appointed him as the (absent) deputy for the town and district of Guayama , Puerto Rico at the Madrid parliament ; he never visited the place, but had a representative inform him of the status of the area and felt a duty to represent its inhabitants appropriately. This appointment lasted for five years and mainly seems to have given him the chance to observe

5016-493: The Sad Destinies ), a book about Isabel II . The last series depicted events experienced by Galdós himself, but the work was unfinished and it is seldom a topic of study or discussion. In his first epoch (1867–1878), Galdós vigorously wrote against intolerance and hypocrisy. His novels feature young male protagonists who confront the hostile atmosphere of provincial cities. Ironically, his writing at this time demonstrates

5130-764: The Sagasta Progressive Party and in 1886 became a deputy for Guayama, Puerto Rico . At the beginning of the 20th century he joined the Republican Party and was elected deputy to the Madrid cortes for the Conjunción Republicano Socialista in the legislatures of 1907 and 1910. In 1914 he was elected deputy for Las Palmas. Pérez Galdós was born on 10 May 1843 in Calle Cano in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria , in

5244-563: The Spaniards (...) than all the historians together". The first volume was called Trafalgar and appeared in 1873. Successive volumes appeared irregularly, until the forty-sixth and final novel, Cánovas , was published in 1912. These historical novels sold well, and they remained the basis of Pérez Galdós' contemporary reputation and income. He used careful research to write these stories, and to achieve balance and wider perspectives, Pérez Galdós often sought out survivors and eyewitnesses to

5358-642: The World , which became a hit for Secombe and other singers such as Tony Bennett and Sammy Davis Jr. Part of The Pickwick Papers were featured in Charles Dickens' Ghost Stories , a 60-minute animation made by Emerald City Films (1987). These included The Ghost in the Wardrobe , The Mail Coach Ghosts , and The Goblin and the Gravedigger . Stephen Jarvis's novel Death and Mr Pickwick (2014)

5472-492: The actual events – such as an old man who had been a cabin boy aboard the ship Santísima Trinidad at Trafalgar, who became the central figure of that book. Pérez Galdós was often critical of the official versions of the events he described, and often ran into problems with the Catholic Church , then a dominant force in Spanish cultural life. Literary critic José Montesinos classified Pérez Galdós' other novels into

5586-493: The afternoons he read in Spanish, English or French; he preferred the classics, including Shakespeare , Dickens , Cervantes , Lope de Vega and Euripides . In later years, he began to read Leo Tolstoy . In the evenings he would return to his walks, unless there was a concert, for he adored music. He went to bed early and almost never went to the theater. According to Ramón Pérez de Ayala , Pérez Galdós dressed casually, using sombre tones to go unnoticed. In winter he would wear

5700-554: The approaches of Dickens and the French Realist novelists such as Balzac. Pérez Galdós also showed a keen interest in technology and crafts, for example the lengthy descriptions of ropery in La desheredada or the detailed accounts of how the heroine of La de Bringas (1884) embroiders her pictures out of hair. Galdós was also inspired by Émile Zola and naturalism in which writers strove to show how their characters were forged by

5814-652: The author's complete collection. Spanish Realist literature In the mid-19th century, the Romantic movement waned and a new literary movement arose in Europe: Realism. This new approach grew out of the 1850 French reaction to selected aspects of Romanticism, mainly costumbrismo . As artistic style rebelled against " art for art's sake " and literary imagination grew tired of fanciful and colorful depictions, artists and authors began to focus more objectively on people, actions, and society. The main precursor

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5928-582: The budget. They lack ideals, no lofty goal moves them, they will not improve in the least the living conditions of this unhappy, very poor and illiterate race. They will pass one after the other, leaving everything as it is today, and they will lead Spain to a state of consumption that, for sure, will end in death. They will tackle neither the religious problem, nor the economic problem, nor the educational problem; they will do nothing but pure bureaucracy, caciquism, sterile work of recommendations, favors to cronies, legislating without any practical efficacy, and on with

6042-513: The city was considered insulting by many. The novel was quickly condemned by the Church, although with the passage of time, Clarín and the bishop of Oviedo established a firm friendship. Today La Regenta is considered to be an exemplar of Spanish Realism, in the same class as Fortunata y Jacinta by Galdós. Armando Palacio Valdés (Entralgo, Asturias , 1853 – Madrid, 1938) was educated in Avilés and finished his baccalaureate in Oviedo; he pursued

6156-497: The conduct of politics at first hand, which informs scenes in some of his novels. Later, Pérez Galdós was elected as a representative in the cortes of 1907. In 1909, together with Pablo Iglesias , he led the Republican–Socialist Conjunction , although Pérez Galdós, who "did not feel himself a politician", soon withdrew from the struggles "for the minutes and the farce" and turned his already diminished energies to

6270-571: The contradictions between naturalistic theories and religious beliefs reduced Naturalism's manifestation. Some critics even wondered whether Naturalism in the strictest sense ever occurred in Spain. Emilia Pardo Bazán , commonly considered to be naturalist, addresses Naturalism's reception in Spain in her 1883 article La cuestión palpitante (The Burning Question). Additionally, passages of texts by authors such as Benito Pérez Galdós have been considered naturalistic, but that has been explicitly rejected by

6384-511: The credo of the naturalists and some realists. His importance is due to his novels; the first of them is Pepita Jiménez (1874), mostly written in epistolary form. In this work, the story of a widow is told. The widow agrees with a father that his son should be taken away from town to keep him away from her and to allow him to pursue his aspiration to the priesthood. Other important works are Doña Luz (which deals with questions of religious vocation) and Juanita la Larga . This third novel recounts

6498-538: The educationalist Francisco Giner de los Ríos . One example of this can be seen his novel El Amigo Manso (1882), but it is also clear that the mystical tendencies of krausismo led to his interest in the wisdom sometimes shown by people who appear to be mad. This is an important theme in the works of Pérez Galdós from Fortunata y Jacinta onwards, for example in Miau (1888) and his final novel La razón de la sinrazón . All through his literary career, Pérez Galdós incurred

6612-507: The episodes of Trafalgar , Bailén , Zaragoza and Gerona . In almost all of them, the protagonist is Gabriel Araceli, a young man who lives during the climax of the War of Independence . Later series include volumes such as Equipaje del Rey José ( The Luggage of King José ); Los cien mil hijos de San Luis ( The One Hundred Thousand Children of San Luis ); Zumalacárregui , about the First Carlist War ; and Prim ( The One of

6726-493: The equivalent of 20 volumes of shorter fiction, journalism and other writings. He remains popular in Spain, and is considered equal to Dickens , Balzac and Tolstoy . He is less well known in Anglophone countries, but some of his works have now been translated into English. His play Realidad (1892) is important in the history of realism in the Spanish theatre. The Pérez Galdós museum in Las Palmas , Gran Canaria features

6840-526: The film adaptation Nela . The Pérez Galdós museum ( Casa-Museo Pérez Galdós in Spanish) is located in Triana, in the centre of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria . The house where Pérez Galdós was born was acquired in 1954 by the cabildo de Gran Canaria, and inaugurated on 9 July 1960 by María Pérez Galdós Cobián, the writer's daughter. In the museum visitors can see the house where the writer grew up, as well as

6954-628: The film version of Oliver! ) in the title role and Roy Castle as "Sam Weller". Although it was a major success in London, running for 694 performances, Pickwick failed in the United States when it opened on Broadway in 1965. In 1969, the BBC filmed the musical as the TV movie Pickwick with Secombe and Castle reprising their stage roles. Both the stage and TV versions featured the song If I Ruled

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7068-723: The first he pens a critique of the high Madrid society in the years previous to the Bourbon Restoration ) in the figure of Alfonso XII , son of the overthrown Isabel II . Later in life he only published writings of a historical nature, like Jeromín , on Don Juan de Austria . Leopoldo Alas was born in Zamora in 1852, although he always felt deeply Asturian. He completed his study of law in Oviedo . He then obtained his doctorate in Madrid , where he lost faith in God. From then on he would live in permanent spiritual conflict, which

7182-528: The following groups: Pérez Galdós was a frequent traveller. His novels display a detailed knowledge of many cities, towns and villages across Spain – such as Toledo in Angel Guerra . He visited Great Britain on many occasions, his first trip being in 1883. The descriptions of the various districts and low-life characters that he encountered in Madrid, particularly in Fortunata y Jacinta , are similar to

7296-415: The help of money from his sister-in-law, it was published privately in 1870. Critical reaction was slow, but this was eventually hailed as the beginning of a new phase in Spanish fiction, and was highly praised for its literary quality as well as for its social and moral purpose. Pérez Galdós next developed the outline of a major project, the Episodios Nacionales : a series of historical novels outlining

7410-665: The home, and middle-class independence and individualism. The themes of adultery and folletinesque and sentimental fantasy appear, as ways to escape the relentless Realism of the era. There are two main tendencies in Realism: the progressive and the conservative. The Realist novel of this period is characterized by: In Spain, Realism installed itself with extreme facility, since a precedent in picaresque novels already existed. Furthermore, relevant themes were extant in that cornerstone of Spanish and world literature, Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote . Realism reached its maximum splendor in

7524-403: The idyll of Don Paco, a fiftyish man, with the protagonist, who wishes to redeem herself through an honest marriage. Juan Valera was a liberal politician and a religious skeptic. He used a simple, although non-vulgar, literary language. When he died, the writers of the Generation of the 98 retained a deep respect for him. Today he is considered by many critics as the best Spanish prose writer of

7638-442: The illustrations merely of secondary importance. Seymour provided the illustrations for the first two instalments before his suicide. Robert William Buss illustrated the third instalment, but Dickens did not like his work, so the remaining instalments were illustrated by Phiz ( Hablot Knight Browne ), who illustrated most of Dickens's subsequent novels. The instalments were first published in book form in 1837. The Pickwick Papers

7752-496: The interaction of heredity, environment and social conditions. This set of influences is perhaps clearest in Lo prohibido (1884–85), which is also noteworthy for being told in the first person by an unreliable narrator who dies during the course of the work. This pre-dates similar experiments by André Gide such as L'immoraliste . Pérez Galdós was also influenced by philosopher Karl Christian Friedrich Krause , made famous in Spain via

7866-477: The language of verse from the typical one of prose... Given my antipathy toward art for art's sake and the special language of Classicism, it has been my consistent effort to arrive at art by idea and to express this in the common language, revolutionizing the basis for and the look of poetry. Gaspar Núñez de Arce (1834–1903) was born in Valladolid. He was governor of Logroño, parliamentary deputy, senator of

7980-488: The last was double-length and cost two shillings . In mourning for his sister-in-law Mary Hogarth , Dickens missed a deadline and consequently, there was no number issued in May 1837. Numbers were typically issued on the last day of its given month: Dickens drew on places that he knew from his childhood. He located the duel between Mr. Winkle and Dr. Slammer at Fort Pitt , Chatham, close to Ordnance Terrace where he had lived as

8094-454: The little lanterns... In 1897, Pérez Galdós was elected to the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy). After becoming blind he continued to dictate his books for the rest of his life. Pérez Galdós died at the age of 76. Shortly before his death, a statue in his honour was unveiled in the Parque del Buen Retiro , the most popular park in Madrid, financed solely by public donations. And

8208-511: The major events in Spanish history starting from the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The Mexican-Spanish writer Max Aub said: "If all the historical material of those years (19th century) were lost, saving the work of Galdós, it would not matter. There is complete, alive, real life of the nation during the hundred years that covered the author's claw. There are, forever, its hundreds and hundreds of historical and imagined characters, as true one as

8322-496: The majority of literary critics. The line between Spanish Naturalism and Realism is difficult to distinguish due to the infrequent adoption of explicit theories among Spanish artists. In Spain , the best literary fruit of the second half of the 19th century was the novel , a consequence of the international blossoming of the genre as an expression of the middle class's rising political power, obtained through successive revolutions (1789, 1820, 1830, 1848). The values and inquietudes of

8436-503: The middle-class are reflected in the mirror of Realist literature: individualism , materialism, desire for social ascent, and esteem of daily and immutable things. The fundamental themes of literary Realism are the contrast between traditional farming values and modern urban values, the exodus from the field to the city and inherent social and moral contrasts, the fight for social ascent and moral and economic success, women's dissatisfaction with restrictions against their working outside of

8550-458: The ministry of public instruction appointed him to take charge of the arrangements for the Cervantes tercentenary, for a stipend of 1000 pesetas per month. Although the event never took place, the stipend continued for the rest of Pérez Galdós's life. In 1918, he joined in a protest with Miguel de Unamuno and Mariano de Cavia against the encroaching censorship and authoritarianism coming from

8664-423: The misfortunes of a picaresque figure from Oviedo, stands out. Also notable is Adiós, Cordera , a classic dramatic idyll. But his reputation as a novelist is exemplified by the only two novels he wrote, La Regenta and Su único hijo ; the former is more significant. With clear influences from Madame Bovary by Flaubert , it physically and morally depicts Vetusta (which was modeled on his hometown of Oviedo) as

8778-440: The monarch. In the literary aspect, his admiration for the work of Tolstoy is reflected in a certain spiritualism in his last writings and, in the same Russian line, he could not conceal a certain pessimism for the destiny of Spain, as can be perceived in the pages of one of his last National Episodes, Cánovas (1912): The two parties that have agreed to take turns peacefully in power are two herds of men who aspire only to graze on

8892-411: The most furious conflicts with her 1883 publication of La cuestión palpitante ("The Throbbing Question"). Juan Valera y Alcalá-Galiano (Cabra, Córdoba, October 1824 – Madrid, April 1905) belonged to an aristocratic family. He carried out diplomatic missions in several countries and held important political positions. His career as a novelist began when he was around fifty years old. In his last years he

9006-400: The most naturalist of her novels, where she describes the hard proletarian life in a tobacco factory. Of greatest importance to her reputation are Los pazos de Ulloa ( The House of Ulloa ) and its sequel La madre naturaleza ( Mother Nature ), with Galician characters and landscapes, with fast-moving and sometimes violent plots. Luis Coloma (Jerez de la Frontera, January 1851 - Madrid, 1914)

9120-462: The most popular of all being El escándalo ( The Scandal ), written in 1875; in this novel he defended the Jesuits, which was very controversial. His most popular work, and the one by which he is remembered, is El sombrero de tres picos , published in 1874, that would inspire Manuel de Falla to write his famous ballet of the same name. Galdós is considered to be the most representative writer of

9234-491: The movement. He was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 1843. He studied law in Madrid. He later lived in Paris, where he was intrigued by the novels of Honoré de Balzac , a strong influence on his later work. He declared himself to be progressive and anticlerical, but this did not prevent him from forging close friendships with Menéndez y Pelayo and José María de Pereda , of opposite ideologies. Although he defined himself as

9348-697: The name "The Pickwick Club" have existed since the original publication of the story. In 1837, Charles Dickens wrote to William Howison about the Edinburgh Pickwick Club. Dickens approved of the use of the name and the celebration of the characters and spirit of the novel. He wrote: Other known clubs include one meeting as early as December 1836 in the East of London and another meeting at the Sun Tavern in Long Acre in London. Dickens wrote to

9462-541: The naturalist investigates its cause and effect. Alcoholics, the insane, and psychopaths are prevalent in Zola's works, predicated on his belief that the environment was the source of many of society's ills. Zola introduced the naturalistic theory in The Experimental Novel (1880). In this essay on literary criticism, he maintains that the novelist is an observer and an experimenter. From the point of view of

9576-562: The novel and the theater. In 1914 Pérez Galdós was elected as republican deputy for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria . This coincided with the promotion, in March 1914, of a national board tribute to Pérez Galdós, made up of personalities as Eduardo Dato (head of the Government), the banker Gustavo Bauer ( Rothschild 's representative in Spain), Melquiades Álvarez , head of the reformists and

9690-401: The observer, the writer offers the facts as he has seen them, and establishes the environment which the characters inhabit and where the facts are developed. From the point of view of the experimenter, the novelist "institutes the experience," moving the characters through a particular story to show that the succession of events will occur in conformity with the demands of determinism. In Spain,

9804-770: The only vulgarity was found in the lives that he described. Emilia Pardo Bazán was born in A Coruña in 1851. Only child of the Count and Countess of Pardo Bazán, she got married at age seventeen and she settled in Madrid. She was a woman of great culture, she took many trips abroad, and an endowed chair in the Department of Literature at the University of Madrid was created for her. She died in Madrid in 1921. Among her studies on contemporary literature, La cuestión palpitante ( The Burning Question ) stands out, and although she does not accept naturalism in this work, she defends

9918-421: The other (...) Only the greatest in the world, and there are enough fingers to count them, achieved as much. And even more: I would leave him in the novel glory of his time hand in hand with Tolstoy, because, besides giving life to beings forever present, they knew how to bring to light the genius of their homeland through its struggles, glories and misfortunes (...) Galdós has done more for the knowledge of Spain by

10032-592: The others. Pickwick is a member, and there is a mirror club in the kitchen, Mr. Weller's Watch, run by Sam Weller. See: Mr. Pickwick in Master Humphreys Clock Edition at the Ex-Classic Web Site The novel has been adapted to film, television, and radio: In 1985 BBC released a 12-part 350-minute miniseries starring Nigel Stock , Alan Parnaby , Clive Swift and Patrick Malahide . In 1977, BBC Radio 4 released

10146-437: The peacefulness and ignorance of rustic people confronting the political machinations of modern life ( Don Gonzalo de la Gonzalera and De tal palo tal astilla ). He defended a thesis that nowadays few would accept: like father, like son. The novel ends as Pereda decides to abandon the explicit defense of any argument. Stories like Sotileza (epic of Cantabrian fishermen) and La puchera belong to this second period. The one that

10260-464: The people who admired art for art's sake . The most representative writers are Gaspar Núñez de Arce and Ramón de Campoamor, sometimes considered as opponents of Romanticism, because Romanticism was still in its final throes as is evidenced in the classic works of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Rosalía de Castro . Ramón de Campoamor was born in Navia , Asturias , in 1817, and died in 1901. He belonged to

10374-399: The play and Catholic/conservative condemnation. Over one hundred performances were given in Madrid alone and the play was also performed in the provinces. In 1934, 33 years later, a revival in Madrid produced much the same degree of uproar and outrage. Despite his attacks on the forces of conservatism, Pérez Galdós had shown only a weak interest in being directly involved in politics. In 1886

10488-658: The present". During the 19th century, Spain experienced one of the most tumultuous periods of its history. The century opened with the War of Independence against France and ended with the Spanish–American War and the "Disaster of '98"—the loss of Cuba and Puerto Rico in America and the Philippines in Asia. The Borbón (Bourbon) dynasty, after the reigns of Fernando VII (1814–1833) and Isabel II (1833–1868),

10602-402: The reasons for the popular success of novels was their publication in newspapers in installments, conceived as a tactic to encourage the public to buy the newspaper daily. The attitude of the realistic writer is analytical and critical, and usually remains objective. The important novels of the 19th century focused on social character, leading the writers to consider themselves to be "historians of

10716-509: The same narrow-mindedness that he condemns, from the opposite ideological perspective. ( Doña Perfecta , Gloria , La Familia de León Roch ). Marianela , one of his more prominent novels of the first epoch, is the story of a tragic relationship between a blind man and an ignorant, ugly girl. The girl flees when her loved one recovers his sight, afraid to show her face to him; she dies, heartbroken, when he marries another woman. Later, between 1881 and 1915, he published 24 novels, which represent

10830-585: The second half of the 19th century with authors such as Juan Valera, José María de Pereda, and Benito Pérez Galdós, although it never established a canon as rigorous as that produced by the school of Balzac. Naturalism in Spain, as it did in France, also had its detractors, sometimes provoking great controversies. Naturalist Pedro Antonio de Alarcón carried on a fierce rivalry with José María de Pereda who, impassioned, once described Realism as immoral . The movement's most exalted and ardent defenders were Benito Perez Galdós and Emilia Pardo Bazán, who provoked one of

10944-547: The secretary of the latter club in 1838 about attending a meeting: In many Pickwick Clubs, members can take on the names of the characters in the novel. The website for the Pickwick Bicycle Club states "Our rules state that 'Each Member shall adopt the sobriquet allocated by the Management Committee, being the name of some male character in the Pickwick Papers, and be addressed as such at all meetings of

11058-421: The time. In 1868, Pérez Galdós' translation of Pickwick Papers introduced Dickens' work to the Spanish public. In 1870, Pérez Galdós was appointed editor of La Revista de España and began to express his opinions on a wide range of topics from history and culture, to politics and literature. Between 1867 and 1868, he wrote his first novel, La Fontana de Oro , a historical work set in the period 1820–1823. With

11172-511: The time; Torquemada en la Hoguera (Torquemada in the Inferno), a study of greed and avarice; Misericordia (Compassion), with people of less-refined upbringing. Late in life, Pérez Galdós began a career as a dramatic playwright. His most notable plays include La Loca de la Casa (The Crazy Woman of the House), Hija de San Quintin (The Daughter of San Quintín), Electra (whose opening sparked

11286-501: The wrath of the Catholic press. He attacked what he saw as abuses of entrenched and dogmatic religious power rather than religious faith or Christianity per se. In fact, the need for faith is a very important feature in many of his novels and there are many sympathetic portraits of priests and nuns. Pérez Galdós' first mature play was Realidad , an adaptation of his novel of the same name, which had been written in dialogue. Pérez Galdós

11400-402: The writer, stand out. Among these are Arroz y tartana ( Rice and Carriage ), La barraca ( The Farmhouse ), Entre naranjos ( Among Orange Trees ), Cañas y barro ( Canes and Clay ). He reflected his political, social and anti-religious ideas in La catedral ) ( The Cathedral ) or La bodega ( The Warehouse ), although his fame is due to a great extent to Los cuatro jinetes del apocalipsis ,

11514-586: Was Pickwick (sometimes Pickwick, A Dramatic Cantata ) by Sir Francis Burnand and Edward Solomon and premiered at the Comedy Theatre on 7 February 1889. Pickwick by Cyril Ornadel , Wolf Mankowitz , and Leslie Bricusse was a musical version which premiered in Manchester in 1963 before transferring to the West End . It originally starred Harry Secombe (later cast as " Mr. Bumble " in

11628-409: Was Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850), who, with works like The Human Comedy , imposed a moral and social objective on the novel. This purpose, which became the almost exclusive concern of the writers of the time, soon led to Naturalism . The term realist was used for the first time in 1850, referring to painting, but was later adopted by literature, in which it was applied mainly to the novel. One of

11742-414: Was a good friend of Clarín. He wrote several important novels, among them Marta y María , in which the two Biblical sisters are transported to a contemporary setting and fight against the false mysticism of the time. The most popular of his works is La monja de San Sulpicio ( The Nun from San Sulpicio ), in which he narrates the adventures that precede the marriage of a Galician doctor with the protagonist,

11856-627: Was a politician as well as a writer, and his ideology evolved from liberal positions to more traditional ones. He participated in the Spanish–Moroccan War as a volunteer and he left written testimony of his experience in Diario de un testigo de la Guerra de África ( Diary of a Witness to the African War ). For a time he was a travel writer, relating several of his trips in his articles. His religious novels stood out among his other writings,

11970-461: Was attracted to the idea of making direct contact with the public and seeing and hearing their reactions. Rehearsals began in February 1892. The theatre was packed on the opening night and the play was received enthusiastically. However, the play did not receive universal critical acclaim due to the realism of the dialogue which did not accord with the theatrical norms of the time; and the setting of

12084-529: Was directed by Elsie Jane Wilson in 1918; Viridiana (1961), by Luis Buñuel , is based upon Halma ; Buñuel also filmed the adaptations Nazarín (1959) and Tristana (1970); La Duda was filmed in 1972 by Rafael Gil ; El Abuelo (1998) ( The Grandfather ), by José Luis Garci , was internationally released a year later; it had previously been adapted as the Argentine film El Abuelo (1954). In 2018, Sri Lankan director Bennett Rathnayke directed

12198-400: Was fashionable at the time. He protested that he knew nothing of sport, but still accepted the commission. Only in a few instances did Dickens adjust his narrative to plates that had been prepared for him. Typically, he led the way with an instalment of his story, and the artist was compelled to illustrate what Dickens had already written. The story thus became the prime source of interest and

12312-434: Was interrupted by audience reaction and the author had to take many curtain calls. After the third night, the conservative and clerical parties organised a demonstration outside the theatre. The police moved in and arrested two members of a workers’ organization who had reacted against the demonstration. Several people were wounded as a result of the clash and, the next day, the newspapers were divided between liberal support for

12426-636: Was overthrown in the revolution of 1868, the Glorious Revolution . The rule of Serrano (1869–1870) and the brief reign of Amadeo de Saboya (1871–1873) followed. Later, the short era of the First Republic (1873–1874) began, followed by the Restoration of the Borbón dynasty under Alfonso XII (1874–1885), son of Isabel II , after the uprising of Martínez Campos . After the death of Alfonso XII, his second wife, María Cristina assumed

12540-486: Was successful. Among those who nominated Pérez Galdós was the 1904 winner José Echegaray. So, the 1914 national board was established to raise money to help Pérez Galdós, to which the King and his Prime Minister Romanones were the first to subscribe. The outbreak of World War I led to the scheme being closed in 1916 with the money raised being less than half of what was required to clear his debts. In that same year, however,

12654-595: Was the first novel by English author Charles Dickens . His previous work was Sketches by Boz , published in 1836, and his publisher Chapman & Hall asked Dickens to supply descriptions to explain a series of comic "cockney sporting plates" by illustrator Robert Seymour , and to connect them into a novel. The book became a publishing phenomenon, with bootleg copies, theatrical performances, Sam Weller joke books, and other merchandise. On its cultural impact, Nicholas Dames in The Atlantic writes, "'Literature'

12768-489: Was the son of a famous doctor. At twelve years old he entered the preparatory Naval academy of San Fernando (1863), but later left and received a master's degree in Law from the University of Seville, although he never got to practice law. He became a member of the Real Academia in 1908 and he died in 1914. He promoted literature and had a popular following. He wrote two important novels: Pequeñeces ( Trivialities ) and Boy . In

12882-475: Was to be a club, the members of which were to be sent on hunting and fishing expeditions into the country. Their guns were to go off by accident, and fishhooks were to get caught in their hats and trousers, and these and other misadventures were to be depicted in Seymour's comic plates. They asked Dickens to supply the description necessary to explain the plates and to connect them into a sort of picture novel that

12996-411: Was victim of progressive blindness. From his beginnings, Valera was opposed to Romanticism, because of its extremism, as much as he was to Realism, because they prevented him from totally realizing his vision. He only adopted a realist position when he chose real settings (like his native Andalusia) and lifelike characters, although he rejected the less attractive aspects of reality, which ran contrary to

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