Publication: La infancia y la adolescencia en la obra de Pérez Galdós
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2018-03-12
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Universidad Complutense de Madrid
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Abstract
El interés de Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920) por el mundo infantil no solo se manifiesta en su vida cotidiana y personal, sino también a través de su literatura, donde crea una amplia galería de personajes infantiles y adolescentes, nítidos y atrayentes, de diferentes clases sociales, caracteres e idiosincrasias. Estas figuras, con sus peripecias y aventuras, hacen de las novelas, cuentos y obras teatrales de Galdós un verdadero reflejo panorámico de la vida infantil, escolar y familiar de su tiempo y, por supuesto, de la vida social de la España decimonónica en general. Así pues, en obras como El audaz, Marianela, La desheredada y la primera serie de los Episodios nacionales, Galdós presenta a una variedad de niños y adolescentes huérfanos, abandonados o pícaros como Pablillo Muriel, los hermanos Golfín, Marianela, Mariano Rufete, Zarapicos y Gonzalete, y Gabriel Araceli. También relata sus experiencias como pequeños trabajadores para sobrevivir: como lazarillos, criados, mendigos, comerciantes callejeros, u obreros en talleres y fábricas¿ Vinculada a la vida infantil y adolescente está la cuestión de la educación, otro tema recurrente en la literatura galdosiana. En novelas como El doctor Centeno, El amigo Manso, El caballero encantado, y La Primera República de la quinta serie de los Episodios nacionales, se da importancia a una enseñanza participativa, con ternura y amor, en contraposición a una instrucción deficiente, fundada en la memorización y el castigo físico. Además de la educación, el novelista admite en varias ocasiones la necesidad de jugar de los niños, «como el pez que necesita agua» (La desheredada), y no se limita a plasmar las escenas de los juegos infantiles, pues en algunos casos, como en su cuento Rompecabezas, las utiliza para transmitir sus reflexiones acerca de los asuntos políticos y sociales. Dentro de este grupo de niños y adolescentes, los que pertenecen a la burguesía merecen una atención especial, por ser estos portadores de algunos rasgos que los distinguen del resto de los personajes infantiles y adolescentes galdosianos: su afán por el lujo y la apariencia, su acercamiento a la clase noble y aristócrata, la influencia por sus progenitores, etcétera. Del trabajo infantil, la educación y los juegos, la creación galdosiana referente a los niños y adolescentes se extiende a otros aspectos como la enfermedad y la mortalidad, la religión, el mundo de los sueños, entre otros. Algunos motivos, aparte de ofrecer testimonios para un estudio socio-cultural de la época de Galdós, y para entender la mayor relevancia que progresivamente los niños y adolescentes iban cobrando en la vida familiar y social, corresponden a los tópicos existentes en cuanto al tratamiento de este conjunto en la literatura decimonónica y la literatura infantil y juvenil, cuestión que se aborda en el último capítulo de esta tesis doctoral.
Benito Pérez Galdós’ (1843-1920) interest in the child’s world not only manifests itself in the novelist’s daily and personal life, but also in his literature, where he creates a wide range of children and adolescent figures. From different social classes and equipped with divergent and attractive personalities, these characters and their adventures make Galdós’ novels, short stories and dramas an authentic reflection of the children's school and family life, as well as the social life in nineteenth-century Spain. In novels such as El audaz, Marianela, La desheredada and the first series of the Episodios nacionales, Galdós introduces a variety of orphans, abandoned and picaresque children and adolescents: Pablillo Muriel, the Golfín brothers, Marianela, Mariano Rufete, Zarapicos and Gonzalete, Gabriel Araceli… He also recounts their experiences as servants, beggars, street vendors, guides for the blind, workers in factories and workshops, and so on. Another recurring theme in Galdós’ literature related to children and adolescent life is the issue of education. In novels like El doctor Centeno, El amigo Manso, El caballero encantado, and La Primera Republica of the fifth series of Episodios nacionales, importance is given to an interactive teaching with love and affection, as opposed to the deficient education based on memorization and physical punishment common at that time. Besides addressing education, the author admits in several occasions children’s need to play, “like the fish needs water” (La desheredada). He does not tend to limit himself to apprehending those children's games scenes, as he does in the short story Rompecabezas, but rather uses such episodes to convey his observations about the 19th Spanish political and social affairs. In this group of children and adolescents, those who belong to the bourgeoisie class merit a special examination, for they are possessors of features that distinguish them from the rest of their counterparts (the desire for luxury and appearance, the approach to the noble and aristocratic class, and the influence from their parents are some of the examples of these characteristics).
Benito Pérez Galdós’ (1843-1920) interest in the child’s world not only manifests itself in the novelist’s daily and personal life, but also in his literature, where he creates a wide range of children and adolescent figures. From different social classes and equipped with divergent and attractive personalities, these characters and their adventures make Galdós’ novels, short stories and dramas an authentic reflection of the children's school and family life, as well as the social life in nineteenth-century Spain. In novels such as El audaz, Marianela, La desheredada and the first series of the Episodios nacionales, Galdós introduces a variety of orphans, abandoned and picaresque children and adolescents: Pablillo Muriel, the Golfín brothers, Marianela, Mariano Rufete, Zarapicos and Gonzalete, Gabriel Araceli… He also recounts their experiences as servants, beggars, street vendors, guides for the blind, workers in factories and workshops, and so on. Another recurring theme in Galdós’ literature related to children and adolescent life is the issue of education. In novels like El doctor Centeno, El amigo Manso, El caballero encantado, and La Primera Republica of the fifth series of Episodios nacionales, importance is given to an interactive teaching with love and affection, as opposed to the deficient education based on memorization and physical punishment common at that time. Besides addressing education, the author admits in several occasions children’s need to play, “like the fish needs water” (La desheredada). He does not tend to limit himself to apprehending those children's games scenes, as he does in the short story Rompecabezas, but rather uses such episodes to convey his observations about the 19th Spanish political and social affairs. In this group of children and adolescents, those who belong to the bourgeoisie class merit a special examination, for they are possessors of features that distinguish them from the rest of their counterparts (the desire for luxury and appearance, the approach to the noble and aristocratic class, and the influence from their parents are some of the examples of these characteristics).
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Tesis inédita de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Filología, Departamento de Filología Española II (Literatura Española), leída el 24-04-2017