This paper is a study of the major influence of the German philosophy, Krausism, in the writings of Benito Perez Galdds. The study is an analysis of the effects of this ideology on Spain and her people, as illustrated in the works of the most representative writer of the nineteenth century in that country. Also included is a discussion of historical incidents of the period which is necessary to place the acceptance of both this philosophy and the works of Perez Galdos in its proper perspective.

The thesis states that the confidant in the tragedies of Jean Baptist Racine evolves from the traditional servant figure to a sophisticated intimate of the principal character. The confidant's identity becomes synonymous with that of the principal character: he appears as his alter ego. The sources used are six of Racine's secular tragedies, in addition to critical works and essays of his writings. The tragedies included in this study are La Thebaide, whose secondary characters serve as a comparison to the more developed confidants as found in Andromaque, B /r/nice, Mithridate, Britannicus, and Phedre. Racine presents a variety of tragic characters whose multifaceted personality emerges through the intervention of their confidant. Representing one side of the protagonist's character, or his "other self, " the confidant becomes Racine's dramatic tool to portray the internal struggle in all its aspects. Racine's preoccupation with moral issues and his desire to instruct his audience pervade his writings. It is thus possible to trace the development of the confidant from his part as self-effacing messenger to his role as alter ego to the principal figure where he dramatically demonstrates the tragic, inner division of man.

The purpose of this investigation is to show the relationship between the autobiographical information evidenced by the principal female characters in Emilia Pardo Bazan's major novels and her influence on nineteenth-century feminism in Spain. The changing nature of Pardo Bazan's feminism is studied through an analysis of two literary phases in her work. In the first, classified as naturalistic, Pardo Bazan concentrates on the nineteenth century woman and her limited role within society. The second phase reveals a change of perspective as the author creates a character type: this "new woman" is an expression of her feminist beliefs. As Pardo Bazan sought support for feminist goals, diverse intellectual activities characterized her life and became an integral aspect of her art.

Este estudio propone hacer un ensayo dando énfasis los motivos temporales y estructurales en las obras Los pasos perdios (1946) y Guerra del tiepo (1958) de Alejo Carpenter, gran novelista y cuentista cubano del momento. Carpenter obliga al lector a notar nuevos conceptos sobre el tiempo y a aceptar nuevas definiciones y dimensiones mas amplias, libre de todas las restricciones tradicionales. Mediante la deformación del tiempo en todo aspecto concebible (vuelto al revés, transpuesto del lugar normal, invertido, fragmentado, o torcido en una manera que es ilógica e inexplicable), Carpentier utiliza los medios temporales en su narrativa de varias maneras: el tiempo circular, el tiempo regresivo, el tiempo histórico, el tiempo interiorizado, o el tiempo atemporal, que son los principales aspectos analizados en esta tesis.

This thesis studies three of the most significant themes in the poetry of the Cuban Modernist, Julian del Casal. The poet's morbid fascination with death is characterized by an inability to adapt to his life environment, boredom, a strong self-destructive drive, and the concept of death as the ultimate joy and refuge. He reflects the Modernist aesthetic code in his cult of plastic and lyric beauty. An escapist, he sought refuge in an ideal world of perfection and elegance. This unobtainable goal resulted in deep melancholia and despair. The theme of love reflects a complete absence of passion and eroticism. The poet's categorical rejection of woman as a sensual object is accompanied by subtle insinuations concerning his own physical impotence and inability to love.

This study presents a biographical sketch of the author, a historical background of his period, an overview of his known works, an investigation of the definition and literary criticism of the "pasos," and summaries of and critical commentaries on the twenty-four known "pasos" of the Spanish dramatist whose work is considered to have significantly influenced the evolution of the Spanish theatre. The "pasos," brief comical dramatizations of realistic situations, involving diverse types of common people, reflecting witty and charming humor, are written in a prose style considered by critics to be equal to that of Cervantes and Rojas. The sources of investigation have been two volumes of his known works by the Real Academia Espanola, an edition of Pasos completos, literary histories, and several articles.