Through the concept of intra-historia, Unamuno formulates a philosophy of history that allows for an acknowledgement of historical facts, while asserting that there also exists a deeper truth that better expresses the complicated course of Spanish history. Historia, the more obvious presence of recorded events and ideas, will therefore be supported by an intra-historia, a determining force whose existence is perceived through the eternal traditions of the essentially ahistorical pueblo. As developed throughout Unamuno's writings, the dichotomy of historia/intra-historia is applied to individuals as well as to societies. It reflects the opposition of a strident personal consciousness to an obscure lack of self-awareness, and the forging of a painful temporal identity, a self-creation, to the soothing acceptance of eternal peace It is our belief that although the major statements about intra-historia are found in don Miguel's early works, the idea is nevertheless an integral part of the majority of his later novels. After analyzing the essays of En torno al casticismo (1895), this study therefore proceeds to evaluate the presence of intra-historia in three of Unamuno's novels, each indicative of one of his three major periods: Paz en la guerra (1897), Niebla (1914), and San Manuel Bueno, martir (1930). We also briefly treat other novels of each period, showing how the themes and symbolism consistently associated with intra-historia appear in these works as well In En torno al casticismo and Paz en la guerra, intra-historia is more a metaphor--a poetic way of approaching life--than a well-defined philosophical or historical concept. By accepting, rather than confronting, the controlling passage of time, Unamuno creates a series of physical-world images that reflect the eternal truths of nature and incorporate these truths into the daily lives of the people residing within this natural world In the novels of his middle period, as exemplified by Niebla, intra-historia becomes a flexible, yet persistent backdrop against which characters' personal dramas are played out. Since the comforting world of nature has disappeared, intra-historia is seen principally through 'natural' female characters who serve as a counterpoint to the highly individualized passions experienced by males Although intra-historia reemerges as an important textual element in San Manuel Bueno, martir, its role is essentially that of an 'other' used by don Manuel for the solidification of his personal historia. The lack of vitality of the pueblo, as well as the ambivalent role played by an intra-historic female character, attest to the pervasive presence of conscious, individual personalities, even in the midst of intra-historic continuity / acase@tulane.edu

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As a worthy writer Benjam(')in Jarnes has not received the recog-nition he deserves. His being a participant in a controversial and turbulent period in Spanish history (1888-1949) has unjustly cast a negative shadow over his work, particularly his novels. Literary criticism has, until recently, conferred upon Jarnes a minor position as a novelist and disregarded his works. His novels, therefore, are either out of print or scattered throughout Spanish America and Spain Lately, however, noted critics have viewed Jarnes's writings in a more positive light. Nevertheless, no researcher has yet developed a comprehensive study of his poetics. This dissertation undertakes such a study concentrating on the following Jarnesian novels: El convidado de papel, Lo rojo y lo azul, Teor(')ia del zumbel, La novia del viento, Locura y muerte de nadie, El profesor inutil, and Orlando el pac(')ifico Using current studies concerning structuralist poetics, this disser-tation finds that by examining Jarnes's novels outside their historical context a new understanding can be achieved, one that places his work ahead of its time. The non-representational aspects of reality in Jarnes's novels serve to exemplify his departure from tradition and his quest for new forms of expression. His vision of a multi-facted reality and his interpretation of the Jungian archetype, together with other devices, contribute to give form to the new reality he seeks This new vision finds expression in a spatial narrative that, in many instances, is disassociated from conventions. Language in his novels surpasses literalness through the use of poetic techniques, particu-larly metaphor, with which he presents an aesthetic view of the world. To reinforce his tendency to de-novelize, he incorporates intertextu-ality, dehumanization, and animation as integral components of the total language framework of the novel This study also examines the author's view of the function of the novelist in society. According to him, literature should not be subordinated to socio-political considerations. The conclusion proposes that the concept of harmony, which along with a pervasive intellectualism, serves as a leitmotif in Jarnes's work, provides the normative principles and guiding forces in his novels / acase@tulane.edu

This study examines Miguel Hernandez' interpretation of the world throughout key stages and salient themes in his poetry. We trace the manner in which the poet 'orders' a cosmos and renders a concept of the universe that reflects his individual creative genius A brief compendium is first presented of the historical and artistic background in which the young poet develops, noting the principal technical and ideological influences upon his work and the role that they play in shaping Hernandez' vision of the cosmos. We then see how this vision develops by tracing the trajectory of its evolution in the predominant themes of nature, death, and love In studying his perception of nature, we note that in his early poetry Hernandez renders primarily a descriptive and essentially objective vision of the natural world. As he acquires mastery of the language and style of neobaroque poetry, the young poet employs them in an effort to capture what he perceives as the surging, dynamic energy of a natural world in a state of constant becoming. The poetic voice gradually places itself more 'subjectively' within the natural environment attempting to establish a type of communion with nature Miguel Hernandez' vision of death predominately encompasses a primal sense of the earth together with a cyclical concept of the life and death processes as part of a cosmic design. The idea of transcendence appears frequently in Hernandez' work, based initially upon a type of 'agricultural rebirth' as part of the cyclical process of reintegration to the vital flow in nature In his final poetic production Hernandez achieves a harmonic expression of internal and external reality as he perceives himself participating totally in the vital rhythms through love. The poet's ultimate vision incorporates his lyrical rendering of a cosmos based upon family love, with a specific concentration upon his wife's womb as the origin of the creative process. The womb becomes the main source of light and order in the poet's vision. Hernandez offers the birth of a world which, in cosmic terms, represents the return to the beginning of all creation / acase@tulane.edu

This dissertation studies the women in the works of the nineteenth century Catalan writer, Narc(')is Oller Oller's literary production consists of six novels, numerous short stories, several dramatic works, and a few translations of well-known contemporary authors. His novels include the following: La papallona (1882), L'Escanyapobres (1884), Vilaniu (1885), La febre d'or (1890-1892), La bufetada (1899) and Pilar Prim (1906) Two dissertations have been written about Oller, both in the past ten years. Modesto D(')iaz has produced a very general outline of Oller's life works. Juan Jose Gilabert has examined, often cursorily, Oller's literary production with respect to naturalism, to society, women, and the landscape; moreover, he has compared the Catalan writer's approach to the latter aspects with that of Spanish writers of the time. A number of articles have also appeared concerning Oller and his works. They coincide basically with his period of literary creativity (1879-1918), with the time of his death (1930), with the publication of his complete works in a single volume (1948), and with the publication of his Memories literaries (1962) Only Juan Jose Gilabert and the Catalan scholar Maurici Serrahima have dealt with the female characters created by Narc(')is Oller. Although both critics agree that women are superior to men as literary creations in the writings of this Catalan novelist, they give only superficial treatment to the subject The first chapter of the dissertation will study the unmarried women who appear in Oller's novels and short stories. In spite of their personal and social differences, all of them have the same goal, marriage, which is viewed either as fulfillment of their love or as security for the future The next two chapters will be devoted to two facets of the lives of married women: their relationships with their husbands and with their children. Although it is not always possible to distinguish between the different roles of a woman both in her family life and in society, we will try to do so in order to achieve a deeper insight into the personality and behavior of Oller's female characters. Therefore, the second chapter of the dissertation will analyze the relationships of the women with their husbands and the circumstances that may interfere with these relationships. Oller's women are usually very devoted to their children but often their primary concern is the material rather than the spiritual and psychological well-being of their sons and daughters. The third chapter will deal with this aspect of the female personages as well as with the influence of the absence of children on the personality of several of the characters The fourth and last chapter will treat what could be called 'social relationships,' which in Oller's novels are mainly friendship and a strong desire, akin to envy, to outdo others in social status and material wealth Therefore, all facets of Oller's women, beginning with their unmarried state and continuing with their relationships with their husbands and children, as well as with their social interaction, will be examined in this study / acase@tulane.edu

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This study deals with the feminist issue in Emilia Pardo Bazan's non-fictional work The first part of the dissertation examines the conditions of the woman in Spain from a political, educational and social point of view in the second half of the XIX century, as well as the motivating forces which kept most of the women of the time from participating actively in the feminine cause The feminist ideas of Emilia Pardo Bazan as revealed in her extensive non-fictional works are then presented and discussed The polemics which arose among Pardo Bazan's contemporaries because of her feminist ideas are there addressed together with her reactions to this criticism The conclusion includes a composite sketch, as revealed in her non-fictional writings, of Emilia Pardo-Bazan's concept of what the status and role of the intellectual of her time could and ought to be / acase@tulane.edu

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Diderot's portrayal of the complex and enigmatic figure of the mid-eighteenth century, Le Neveu de Rameau, continues to generate interest in his profoundly original text. The abundant critical interpretations of this and other works by the philosophe are evidence of the multilayered complexities of his thought. His experimentation with forms and themes, especially in Le Neveu de Rameau, coincides with that of many of his contemporaries including one whom he portrayed, Jean-Francois Rameau, as well as to modern ones The intricate composite of elements Diderot used in his depiction of the nephew often parallels contemporary portraits of the younger Rameau, especially in Cazotte's text, La Nouvelle Rameide, where many of the same motifs and themes characterize the nephew's parasitic nature and its correlative role, that of the fool. Jean-Francois Rameau whose self-portrait, La Rameide, can be seen as a demonstration of his parasitism, possessed a personality that his contemporaries, Diderot especially, drew on in order to use him as a reference point to criticize the society that he both represents and stands out from Other writers have drawn inspiration from Diderot's portrayal of the nephew and incorporated their own modes of interpreting his unique character. These varied attempts to portray, or reinterpret, the character in Diderot's dialogue reveal an interest in the stylistic and esthetic modernity in Diderot whose approach to every subject was always challenging to his reader and to his critic. A comparison with other writers' texts dealing with the nephew demonstrates Diderot's artistic genius and offers interesting insights into the creative abilities of other artists / acase@tulane.edu

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