This dissertation examines three of Carmen Martín Gaite’s later novels, identifying existential issues that are presented through the narrative. It aims to unravel issues pertaining to personal identity, freedom, communication and ethical stances in a postmodern context. The thesis is divided into three studies, one for each novel examined. The corpus of novels includes Nubosidad variable (1992), La reina de las nieves (1994) and Lo raro es vivir (1996). The Introduction and the General Conclusions cover all three studies. The first examines the epistolary nature of Nubosidad variable, presenting the subjective and dialogical aspects of the texts in question. The protagonists’ quest for true identity, concealed beneath acquired social roles, elicits a search for authenticity. The second study analyses the intertextual character of La reina de las nieves, identifying the existential issues that are imbedded in the intertexts and the narrative. The third study looks into the importance of communication in a self-exploratory process in which death and life-giving issues are discussed. Identity is understood as a combination of ipse, selfhood, and idem, sameness and narrative identity as a narrative formation of discourse in which human experience is articulated and subject to change over time (Ricoeur). Freedom, responsibility, authenticity and subjectivity are viewed in light of theoretical considerations offered, inter alia, by Sartre and Kierkegaard. The study concludes that the main idea of these novels is that the act of writing gives purpose or meaning to life. Although death is ever-present, emphasis is placed on life challenges and the subject’s existential sense of direction. As regards ethical inclinations in the novels, there is an appraisal of the effort to acquire self-knowledge and self-fulfilment, assuming personal responsibility for choices made in life.

L’objectif de cette thèse est d’analyser le dialogue cartésien La Recherche de la Vérité par la Lumière Naturelle au sujet d‘une corrélation entre lui et les Objections subis par Descartes à ses Méditations et leurs respectifs Réponses. L’hypothèse principale est que la Recherche a été influencée par les Objections et Réponses, ce qui la situe dans un moment tardif du corpus cartésien. L’étude de La Recherche de la Vérité et de sa relation avec les Règles pour la direction de l’esprit et le Discours de la Méthode, ainsi que l’enquête sur les principales interprétations qui voient la Recherche comme une œuvre d’une époque antérieure aux Méditations révèle qu’il n’y a pas des preuves suffisantes pour établir une proximité temporelle entre eux, ni d’arguments assez forts pour établir une de ces hypothèses au détriment des autres. La comparaison entre la Recherche et les Objections et Réponses, à son tour, montre qu’il y en effet dans la Recherche la présence constante d’éléments du débat suscité par les Méditations. Comme ces éléments ne viennent pas de l’esprit cartésien, mais de nombreux autres savants qui ont lu les Méditations, ils sont plus déterminants pour établir la datation de la Recherche que la comparaison avec n’importe quel autre écrit de Descartes. Toutefois, si les arguments philosophiques et textuels peuvent confirmer l’hypothèse que la Recherche a été influencée par les Objections et Réponses, à eux seuls ils ne sont pas en mesure de nous offrir une datation plus précise pour cette œuvre. Ainsi, il est nécessaire de recourir à l’analyse des arguments historiques et contextuels pour essayer de situer le dialogue dans un moment plus précis entre 1641 et 1650. Compte tenu principalement de la correspondance personnelle du philosophe et des événements marquants de cette période de sa vie, nous concluons que la date la plus probable se situerait entre 1646 et 1647. / The aim of this thesis is to analyze Descartes’ dialogue The Search for Truth by means of the Natural Light regarding a comparison between it and the Objections suffered by Descartes to his Meditations and their respective Replies. The main hypothesis is that the Recherche has been influenced by the Objections and Replies, which in turn puts this work in a late stage of the Cartesian corpus. The study of the Search for Truth and its relation to the Rules for the Direction of the Mind and the Discourse on the Method, as well as the investigation of the main interpretations that perceive the Search as a work of an earlier time to the Meditations, reveals that there is no sufficient evidence to establish a temporal proximity between them, and there are no strong enough arguments for establish these hypotheses to the detriment of others. The comparison between the Search and the Objections and Replies, on the other hand, shows that there are in the Search the constant presence of elements from the debate generated by the Meditations, such elements are more crucial to establish the dating of the Search than the comparison to any other written of Descartes, because they are not from the Cartesian mind, but of many other scholars who read their Meditations. Whereas the philosophical and textual arguments are able to confirm the hypothesis that the Search has been influenced by the Objections and Replies, alone they are not able to offer a more precise dating for this work. Thus, the analysis of historical and contextual arguments is necessary in order to locate the dialogue in a more precise time between 1641 and 1650. In view of the personal correspondence of the philosopher and the events that marked this period of his life, our conclusion is that the most likely date would be between 1646 and 1647. / Recherche de la Véritée de sua relação com as Regras para a orientação do espírito e com o Discurso do Método, bem como a investigação das principais interpretações que veem a Recherche como uma obra de um momento anterior às Meditações, revela que não há elementos suficientes para estabelecer uma proximidade temporal entre esses textos, tampouco há argumentos suficientemente fortes para estabelecer uma dessas hipóteses em detrimento das outras. A comparação entre a Recherchee as Objeções e Respostas, por sua vez, demonstra que de fato há no diálogo a presença constante de elementos provenientes do debate gerado pelas Meditações, elementos que, por não serem provenientes da mente cartesiana, mas de diversos outros sábios, são mais determinantes para estabelecer sua datação do que a comparação com qualquer outro escrito de Descartes. Contudo, se os argumentos filosóficos e textuais são capazes de nos confirmar a hipótese de que a Recherche tenha sido influenciada pelas Objeções e Respostas, sozinhos eles não são capazes de nos oferecer uma datação mais precisa para essa obra. Deste modo é necessário recorrer à análise dos argumentos históricos e contextuais para tentar situar o diálogo em um momento mais preciso entre 1641 e 1650. A partir principalmente da correspondência pessoal do filósofo e dos acontecimentos que marcaram esse período de sua vida, chegamos à conclusão de que a data mais provável seria entre 1646 e 1647.