Leopoldo Alas Clarín’s ‘La Regenta’: Themes and Context
Leopoldo Alas Clarín’s ‘La Regenta’: A Masterpiece
La Regenta is the first novel by Leopoldo Alas Clarín. Born in Zamora, he lived in Oviedo, where he served as a professor of law until his death. He also authored another novel (his only son) and some stories (Adiós, Cordera), and worked as a literary critic in the press of the time. La Regenta is considered a masterpiece of the 19th-century Spanish novel.
The novel was initially published in Barcelona due to the scandal it caused, particularly in Oviedo, as Clarín critically dissected the cruel and oppressive society, where no character seemed to have noble motives. The Bishop of Oviedo even issued a pastoral against Clarín. The work explores the theme of adultery.
Plot Summary
The action focuses on Vetusta (Oviedo), where Ana Ozores is married to the former regent of the Audiencia of the city, Victor Quintanar, a fussy and gentle man much older than her. Feeling emotionally neglected, she is courted by the Don Juan, Álvaro Mesía. Canon Fermín de Pas also falls in love with Ana, becoming an unspoken rival to Mesía. A wide array of supporting characters completes the human landscape of the novel. Ana oscillates between erotic temptation and religious enthusiasm, ultimately suffering rejection from Vetusta. Clarín uses Vetusta as a symbol of vulgarity, ignorance, and hypocrisy, crafting a cruel story of Spanish provincial life tied to its ruling classes.
Romantic Drama Characteristics
The romantic drama is characterized by:
- Accumulation of actions in different places and times.
- Importance of the theme of love, which gives meaning to existence and is both an endless source of misery.
- Solitary and marginal male and idealized female characters.
- Spectacular scenic effects: sets (cemeteries, etc.), sounds (thunder, bells, etc.), lighting (light and dark contrasts), and alternation of prose and verse.
Examples of works include: Lovers of Teruel by Gutierrez, José Zorrilla’s Don Juan Tenorio, and Don Álvaro, or the Force of Destiny by Duque de Rivas Saavedra.
Romantic Prose in Spain
The main manifestations of romantic prose in Spain are the historical novel and the newspaper article.
The rise of the historical novel relates to the desire to escape the present. The most representative work is The Lord of Bembibre. In terms of newspaper articles, the most outstanding author is Mariano José de Larra. His papers offer a complete critical analysis of Spanish society at the time. Larra’s concern about the reality of Spain in all fields (political, cultural, economic, etc.) makes him the heir to the Enlightenment authors of the 18th century and the Generation of ’98. Larra’s articles are based on a story told in the first person, from which he extracts a general reflection. Humor and pessimism coexist in his work. His work is divided into articles:
- Customs (The Old Castilian, You Again Tomorrow). These articles address some of the ills of Spanish society: ignorance, poor education, laziness, excessive bureaucracy, etc. Larra calls for modernization of the country and its openness to European culture.
- Political (criticizes absolute monarchy, the Carlist general, censorship, and lack of freedom).
- Literary (comments on the literary works of his time).
Mariano José de Larra
Mariano José de Larra was born in Madrid and is the prototype of the romantic liberal. He was noted for his newspaper articles, published under various pseudonyms. In one of them, he expressed his ideology: freedom in literature, the arts, industry, commerce, and consciousness. After a deep political and sentimental disillusionment, Larra committed suicide in Madrid.