Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Decimonónica

Volume

3

Issue

2

Publisher

Decimonónica

Publication Date

2006

First Page

1

Last Page

26

Abstract

Like many of his contemporaries, both in Spain and other European countries, Galdós utilized many blind characters in his novels1. Although he was unaware of the fact as he created these characters, he himself would spend his final years sightless. Individual Galdosian blind characters are sometimes mentioned by critics as part of the overall discussion of specific works, but to date there has been no study showing how pervasive the ciego is throughout the vast panorama of Galdós’s works. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to demonstrate that the ciego, and the multiplicity of his novelistic roles, is an important aspect of Galdós’s creativity from the first of his novelas de la primera época to the last of his Episodios Nacionales.2 To facilitate presentation and discussion, we have arranged these ciegos under the following headings (realizing, of course, that some might well be appropriate in more than one category): costumbrismo, realism, realism-naturalism, realism-spiritual naturalism, and echoes of Galdós’s career-ending blindness.

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