Benito Pérez Galdós: Novel Categories and Masterpieces

The Episodios Nacionales (National Episodes)

This collection consists of forty-six relatively short novels, divided into five series. They were intended to chronicle the historical novel of much of the nineteenth century.

Galdós mixes fictional characters with historical figures, important political and military events of the day, and private lives, thus achieving the recreation of great battles and historical moments. Key characteristics include:

• Rigorous Documentation: History is recreated using a personal approach to the facts, but based on rigorous documentation.
• Narrative Style: While the style is sometimes considered neglected, the narrative remains vivid and lively.

Early Works: The Thesis Novels

These first novels are known as the Thesis Novels. In them, the author creates characters and models a reality based on the ideas he wishes to manifest. The characters are often types that embody a specific idea, typically divided into 'good' and 'bad'.

The two most representative novels are Doña Perfecta and Gloria:

• Doña Perfecta: The central conflict arises between the intolerance, arrogance, and hypocrisy of Doña Perfecta and the liberal progressivism of her nephew, José Rey, who ultimately falls victim to her actions.
• Gloria: Here, religious intransigence prevents the union of two people who love each other but belong to different faiths.

The Contemporary Spanish Novels

Abandoning the thesis novels, Galdós evolves into a critical, yet fair, observer of Spanish society. The main characteristics of this period include creating environments reflected with remarkable accuracy and deep characterization.

The author examines the history of his time, the popular environment, and different social classes, with Madrid serving as the central focus of his vision.

Fortunata and Jacinta: Galdós's Masterpiece

Set within a vast social panorama, Fortunata and Jacinta is considered his masterpiece. Galdós traces the unforgettable portraits of the two protagonists:

• Jacinta: The virtuous and passive wife, representing middle-class security and compliance.
• Fortunata: The woman of the people, spontaneous, passionate, and instinctive.

Caught between the two women is Juanito Santa Cruz, the young bourgeois: selfish, frivolous, spoiled, and irresponsible—the husband of the first and the lover of the second.

Galdós's Late Novels (1890s)

The works written in the 1890s show a thematic change, although the literary procedure employed remains consistent. A spiritualist focus emerges, often set against harsh realities.

Galdós creates characters who, moved by a profound Christian meaning, give up everything to devote themselves to their neighbors. The most representative novel is Misericordia (Mercy), one of his best works, in which the charity and goodness of the protagonist confront the selfishness that surrounds her.