This thesis explores the themes in the novels of Manuel Gálvez. The summaries deal with a considerable portion of his work which may be generally classified as sociological novels.

The Italian composer of operas, Giuseppe Verdi, relied heavily on plays of the Romantic Era as sources for opera librettos. Three such plays were from the Spanish Romantic School: El trovador and Simon Bocanegra by Antonio Garcia Gutierrez, and Don Alvaro o la fuerza del sino by Angel de Saavedra, el Duque de Rivas. The operas which Verdi composed using these plays as sources--Il trovatore, Simon Boccanegra, and La forza del destino--range in popularity from near zenith (Il trovatore) to near nadir (Simon Boccanegra). The study attempts to assess the suitability of the three Spanish dramas as source material for operas, and to determine if this suitability is correlated to each opera's popularity.

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of analyzing and evaluating selected dramas and novelas of Juan Perez de Montalban. This study concludes that Montalban was not a writer of original works, but his familiarity with and utilization of certain literary devices, stereotyped situations, cliches, and popular themes, along with his notable talent in portraying women and rulers allowed him to produce works which met with great acclaim in his lifetime.

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of determining the merit of the works of the contemporary Spanish playwright Carlos Muñiz in the area of social drama.

This thesis studies the life and the novels of Vicente Blasco Ibanez, including his Valencian period and his Madrid novels

The type of alienation discussed in this thesis is not related to the famous Verfrenidungseffekt attempted by Brecht, where the audiences are prevented from identifying with the characters of the drama in the hope that the public will reflect on the ideas presented more rationally and objectively. "Alienation" in this thesis is a psychological force which acts divisively between the characters in the drama and thus contributes to the development of a tragic situation.

Until the time of Lope de Vega and the Golden Age of Spanish literature, women had always had secondary roles in the Spanish drama. There were two reasons for this: 1) Women were not fully appreciated in the society of the times. 2) Women were prohibited from appearing on the stage for many years, and boys usually took their parts. With the advent of Lope de Vega and his arte nuevo de hacer comedies, the situation was changed. The great genius, Lope de Vega, set the pattern for the drama of the Golden Age.

This thesis is a study of the development of the philosophy of Benito Pérez Galdós as revealed by his contemporary novels.

The purpose of this thesis is to make an intensive study of the dramatic works of Max Aub in order to determine his significance as a playwright.

Although some of Zunzunegui's works are not so moralistic in intent as others, it will be seen that each one of them criticizes a particular bad trait in the protagonist which leads to unhappiness or defeat, either for the character himself or for someone close to him.