This study proposes to establish an intrinsic relationship between Valle-Inclán and Muñiz based on the theme of dehumanization in their theater. It examines (1) the stylistic techniques which each playwright uses to depersonalize his characters, (2) the manner in which these characters dehumanize each other, (3) the role of society as the agent of dehumanization, and finally, due to each author's preoccupation with one social convention in particular (4) the devastating effects on men of the vestiges of an outmoded code of honor. The principal works used for the study are Valle-Inclán's Martes de carnaval, Luces de Bohemia, and Divinas palabras, and El tintero, Un solo de saxofón, Las viejas difíciles, and El grillo by Carlos Muñiz. Such an analysis proposes to reveal a profound literary affinity between these two writers, a bond which unites Valle-Inclán and Muñiz in a common protest against the dehumanization of mankind.

This analysis, written in Spanish, compares the use of violence in four of Castro's dramas with its use in their sources and in the works of other Golden Age authors. Chapter II investigates the manner in which the plays based on Greek myths compare with the original stories and with the ancient Classical theater. Each of the four following chapters compares one of Castro's plays to contemporary works with the same plot. The conclusion indicates that Castro's plays do not show an extraordinary use of violence. In some instances Castro demonstrates more restraint than the other dramatists. Thus, Castro, as a typical author of his epoch, does not deserve his reputation for writing excessively violent works.

This thesis presents a study of events in the life of Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, a lyric poetess and dramatist during the Romantic period, as motivating forces in her literary career. As might be expected in the case of a true representative of the Romantic period, Avellaneda's passions and personal life are reflected in all of her works. She uses human and divine love as the main themes throughout all of her literary production, especially in her lyric poetry and the four tragedies chosen for this study: Munio Alfonso (1844), El Príncipe de Viana (1844), Saúl (1849), and Baltasar (1858).

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.

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.

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.

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.

This thesis is a study of social criticism in the works of Leopoldo Alas ("Clarín"), a nineteenth century Spanish novelist, literary critic and short story writer. In Clarín's two major novels, "La Regenta" and "Su único hijo," and in his numerous short stories there is frequent criticism of the abuses of the clergy, the state of Spanish morality, the misunderstanding and misapplication of religion by the laity, the quality of education, literature, theater and medicine, the corruption of law and government and the treatment to which the poor and uneducated were subjected. Because of Clarín's techniques it can be said that he was the leader of the naturalistic movement in Spain. It can also be said that Clarín as a naturalist did not follow the tenets of the French school.

The major proposition is that the childhood point of view in two Delibes novels--El camino (1950) and Las ratas (1962)--aids the reader's comprehension of the basic values held by rural Spaniards. These values are stressed in both novels, giving the reader an insight into the nature of these simplistic people. Honest, accepting attitudes of the child protagonists aid the reader's understanding of the plight of the villagers.The superiority of the natural way of life is revealed in both novels. Nature became even more important to Delibes as his stature as novelist increased, The later work, therefore, is a social protest against effects of industrial progress on rural Castilians.

This is a study of the feminist content of the dramas of Jacinto Benavente (1866-1954) whose dramatic career spanned the same sixty years during which the most spectacular feminist advances took place in Spain. To this end twenty-nine plays are considered to illustrate topically Benavente's conception of the nature of Spanish women and his attitudes with regard to their position in society. It is concluded that Benavente in his first period of dramatic output drew into focus the problems confronting Spanish women in their culture, but in his second period (after 1920), however, he failed to portray adequately the modern female and her approach to the changing environment. Nevertheless, at its best, Benavente's drama constitutes a great contribution to feminist literature.

The problem with which this study is concerned is that of demonstrating the importance of communication and travel in the Siglo de Oro as seen in selected picaresque novels. This study is divided into five chapters. The introductory chapter includes a literary and chronological history of the period and, in the interest of clarity, a plot summary of the selected picaresque novels. The second, third and fourth chapters discuss the various means of urban, rural and maritime communication and travel. The concluding chapter summarizes the study and asserts that communication and travel were of utmost importance during the Siglo LeQ ro and that the picaresque novel, describing faithfully the society that produced it, is a valuable data source for research of this kind.

This is a study of the Byzantine novel or Milesian tale in Spain during the 17th century. It contains a brief comment about the origin of this literary mode and the significance of the two adjectives Byzantine and Milesian. Two novels of the Hellenistic originators of this form are discussed. Four Spanish Byzantine novels are considered in chronological order, with summaries and analyses, with particular attention to their similarity to or modification of the prototypes. It is concluded that this particular aspect of 17th century Spanish fiction is a deliberate imitation of the Hellenistic models, modified by the Spanish authors by the addition of original and contemporary ideas. No longer a popular genre, the Byzantine novel made a significant contribution to the development of the modern Spanish novel.

This study is an assessment of the topics of religion and fantasy in several novels of Ram6n Sender which various critics have characterized as being particularly concerned with one or both of the topics. Both published and unpublished works of criticism and history have been, consulted. The "Introduction" provides biographical and critical information. Chapter II documents in the characterization and the observations and actions of characters significant reflections of the author's attitude toward religion. In Chapter III the primary emphasis is upon the illogical, the absurd, and the grotesque, The "Conclusion" states that in the opinion of critics, in the significance of characterization, and by his own admission, Sender is liberal, anticlerical, humanistic, and occasionally attracted to the fantastic.

A study of the literary techniques used by Mariano José de Larra and Ramón de Mesonero Romanos.

This study is an attempt to analyze the novels of Juan Valera y Alcala Galiano, with particular attention to the characterization of the principal figures.

This thesis looks at the two idological phases of Armando Palacio Valdés' writings as manifested in his novels.

The purpose of this investigation is to characterize the dramatic characters of Federico García Lorca as realists or idealists. Lorca wrote a total of fifteen plays, and the majority of them are considered in this study. Additional source materials include the works of such critics as J. Alberich, María Teresa Babín, Alfredo de la Guardia, and Francisco Umbral.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the techniques through which Julio CortSzar presents and explores the literary concepts of temporal, spatial and identity displacement. The author's radical departure from the more traditionally structured view of these notions is certainly one of the most perplexing and controversial aspects of his literary style.

The purpose of this investigation is to determine the change in characterization that takes place in the works of Emilia Pardo Bazán. Source material include the writings of such critics of Spanish literature as Richard Chandler, Kessel Schwartz, Emiliano Díez-Echarri, José M. Roca Franquesa, Federico C. Saínz de Robles, and José A. Balseiro. Emilia Pardo Bazán wrote a total of twenty novels. From this collection ten were selected which best exemplify the change in characterization in her writings.

This thesis examines the fiction of the Columbian author Gabriel García Márquez, and focuses on hyperbole as a fundamental characteristic of Márquez's fiction. There is special interest in three aspects of his work: setting, people, and themes.

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of determining how Francisco Garcia Pavon's concept the detective novel evolved throughout the period during which he cultivated that literary form. To trace this evolution Garcia Pavon's detective novels and novelettes are studied in chronological order of publication, each work being given a chapter of its own. The character development is analyzed and the style is given consideration in the study.

The purpose of this study is twofold: the first and most important purpose is to examine the various forms of humor; the second is to present views of the author concerning universal topics.

The purpose of this investigation is to determine the extent and nature of criticism in the plays of Jacinto Benavente. Source material included the writings of such prominent critics of Spanish literature as Walter Starkie, Federico de Onis, Richard Chandler, Kessel Schwartz, Emiliano Diez-Echarri, Jose Franquesa, Federico Sainz de Robles, and Valbuena Prat. Twenty plays which best exemplify Benavente's criticism of society were selected from the dramatist's 172.