Galdós and His Critics

Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920) is regarded as one of Europe's greatest writers, the equal in Spanish literature of Dickens, Balzac, Zola, Tolstoy. He dominated the literary scene in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Spain, and is credited with almost single-handedly setting the Spanish realist novel on its course.

For more than a century, critical comment on diverse aspects of Galdós's life has been abundant; he is one of the most discussed of modern Spanish writers. This study is the first to attempt to trace the main lines in this critical tradition down to the present.

Percival organizes the vast body of Galdós criticism into five distinct approaches. The first uses biographical information the interpret Galdós's writing and, conversely, studies his work to extend biographical knowledge about him. The second approach is literary-historical and involves the study of sources and indebtedness to demonstrate the influence of the work of others on Galdós. The third approach relates the author's life and works to ideas: subjects like society, politics, history, religion, philosophy and psychology. The fourth and fifth approaches deal with the works themselves: in one case Galdós's achievements in the field of the novel, in the other his drama, journalism, and other writings.

This comprehensive study of literary criticism on Galdós emphasizes the central place he holds in Spanish literature, and charts the changing course in literary tastes and critical attitudes in Spain and the world of Hispanic studies.