Benito Pérez Galdós: A Comprehensive Overview
Benito Pérez Galdós
Recognition of His Work
Galdós’s work is characterized by a marked and sharp realism. A keen observer with brilliant insight, he captures the atmosphere of environments and situations, painting portraits of places and characters. His use of language to identify his characters has sometimes led to accusations of vulgarity, but Galdós’s charm lies in the sense of spontaneity and vitality conveyed through an expressive, flexible, and suggestive style. The number of his works adapted for film or television is a testament to his enduring appeal. After Cervantes, numerous studies place him at the pinnacle of the Spanish novel. Galdós’s work is divided into “Episodios Nacionales” (“National Episodes”), “Spanish Novels from the Early Days,” and “Contemporary Spanish Novels.” His theatrical works are also noteworthy.
National Episodes (1873-1912)
From 1873 to 1912, Pérez Galdós undertook the ambitious project of fictionalizing 19th-century Spain, from 1807 to the Restoration. His intention was to analyze the roles of conservative and progressive forces. The 46 novels are grouped into five series, with the last containing six instead of ten. These choral, epic works cover individual protagonists’ stories within a larger historical context. Unlike romantic historical novels, Galdós rigorously documented historical facts and comments, narrating them with objectivity.
The first two series (1873-1879) cover the War of Independence and the reign of Ferdinand VII. Here, the author expresses optimism for a slow but steady evolution toward progress. Celebrated works from these series include Trafalgar, Bailén, Napoleon in Chamartín, and The Family of Charles IV.
In 1898, Galdós resumed the series, working on it until 1912. It covers the Carlist Wars to the Restoration. His earlier optimism is replaced by a bitter vision of a deeply divided Spain. Seeking a solution, he proposes an “equal distribution of human welfare,” reflecting his political radicalism. Works from this period include Zumalacárregui, Mendizábal, From Oñate to La Granja, Amadeo I, and the final episode, Cánovas.
Spanish Novels from the Early Days
Until 1880, Galdós wrote thesis-driven, Manichean novels where good characters are modern, open, liberal, and progressive, while bad characters are conservative, traditionalist, religiously fanatical, and uncompromising. These works, full of youthful ardor, include Doña Perfecta (1876), Gloria (1877), and The Family of Leon Roch (1878). Doña Perfecta emphasizes anti-clericalism and the clash between progress and tradition. Gloria explores religious intransigence between Jews and Catholics, and The Family of Leon Roch examines the conflict between Catholics and liberals.
Contemporary Spanish Novels
Galdós referred to the twenty-four novels published since 1880 as his “Contemporary Spanish Novels.” They offer an impressive panorama of Madrid and Spain, encompassing all environments, types, and feelings, from the noble to the lowest classes. Galdós avoids Manichean approaches, instead freely exploring his characters’ feelings, desires, and frustrations. The result is an array of narrow-minded bourgeois, kind-hearted individuals, wealthy and ruined nobles, and the destitute—a portrayal of the greatness and misery of those living for appearances. Galdós captures social plurality using innovative narrative techniques like interior monologue, indirect style, and the character-narrator previously employed in the National Episodes. Now, the author presents, and the reader judges.
The Disinherited (1881), a naturalist work, features a young woman who believes herself to be of aristocratic descent but ends up in prostitution. The Friend Manso (1883), foreshadowing Unamuno’s Nivola, contrasts a superficial Krausist teacher with a cunning child. In Torment (1884), the protagonist is seduced and deceived by a dissolute priest. Miau (1888) depicts the hardships of a progressive’s loss in a conservative government. Torquemada at the Stake (1889) follows the social ascent of a loan shark turned senator.
Fortunata and Jacinta (1886-1887)
Among these works, Fortunata and Jacinta (1887) stands out as an extraordinary mural of Madrid’s history and society, and one of the best novels in Spanish literature. Juan Santa Cruz is the lover of Fortunata, a passionate woman of humble origins. He marries his cousin Jacinta, who endures his infidelities. Fortunata bears his child, but Santa Cruz, driven by his restless nature, seeks another lover. Jealous, Fortunata confronts the new lover, leading to a fatal fight. Before dying, she entrusts her child to Jacinta. Woven into this central plot are threads of the political and social realities of the time. Galdós, as a complicit narrator, portrays nature correcting the mistakes of its children.
Galdós’s later novels, such as Nazarín (1895) and Mercy (1897), explore spiritual and ethical themes. Nazarín, adapted into a film by Luis Buñuel, portrays a priest losing his faith. Mercy is considered a masterpiece, depicting Benina, a maid who begs to support the household where she works without pay, against the backdrop of Madrid’s stark misery.
Fortunata and Jacinta, a broad and carefully constructed novel, unfolds through various love triangles against the backdrop of Madrid’s social life from 1873 to 1876, interweaving fictional and historical elements. Galdós showcases his narrative skills: detailed descriptions of environments and characters, masterful dialogue, innovative use of interior monologues, anecdotes, and skillful management of multiple storylines. The novel, divided into four parts, offers a rich and complex exploration of love, social class, and the human condition.