Carmen Laforet's Nada: A Literary Analysis

Narrative Time

The action takes place during the years 1939-1940, but there are some temporary setbacks (flashbacks) based on Andrea's memories of other stays in Barcelona, where she would spend summers at her grandparents' house on Aribau street. The narrator is situated in the recent past relative to the facts, in 1944. The period between February and September is when the novel was written.

The Postwar Novel

In the 1940s, the bleak post-war climate favored the culmination of literature committed to social problems. In Spain, there were two schools that had a significant impact on all literary genres: existentialism and neorealism. Existentialism questioned the meaning of human existence, and neorealism questioned social reality. Between 1940 and 1945, a group of writers who lived through the civil war in their youth began to publish works of fiction, each with its own literary personality. Carmen Laforet is in this group.

The Historical Context of Nada

The play is set in 1939, a year of special significance in Spain and in the world. In Spain, Franco's troops entered Barcelona in January, and in April, the Spanish Civil War ended. In Europe, on September 3rd, the Second World War began. The aspect that distinguishes the work is the fact that, for the first time, it reflects the social life of the war and has a moderate content of social criticism.

Spaces and Novel Environments

Almost all the action takes place in urban spaces. Although Andrea arrives shortly after the conquest of Franco's troops in the city, there are few references to the footprints of the war in the city. There are many references to poverty and hunger, but they are scattered allusions without complaint or criticism. The opposition between interior and exterior spaces is very marked. The first represents the area of oppression and frustration, while the external has connotations of freedom and happiness.

The Female Characters in Nada

The female world pervades the work. In university life, Andrea meets Ena, a flat character, who will be joined by her mother. On the other hand, Pons, another college teammate of Andrea, will introduce her to a group of wealthy men who play Bohemians. With respect to the world of the house on Aribau Street, it is also absorbed by women: Angustias, Gloria, the grandmother, and the maid. Roman just seems to be the exception, the only man with character in the novel. Juan discharges his brutality continuously over Gloria.

The Biographical Background: Andrea, a Strange Girl

The novel is based on the experiences of Carmen Laforet in Barcelona. There is a great spatial and temporal correspondence between the biographies of Andrea and the author. Andrea and Carmen are 18 years old in 1939. Both arrive in Barcelona on the same dates, but Andrea leaves for Madrid at the end of the course, while Carmen stays in the city for two years before moving to Madrid. Andrea is opposed to the model female protagonist of the romance novel. Her shyness hides a strong personality who rebels against social conventions.