El gótico español: Un estudio de El Estudiante de Salamanca y Leyendas

Ross E. Jones
Dr. Stacy Davis, Faculty Mentor

Generally, literary critics have not recognized Gothic as a movement within Peninsular literature, however, it could be argued that Spain indeed experienced a late Gothic mode that differed from other European movements. El Estudiante de Salamanca (1837) by José de Espronceda and Leyendas (1871) by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer exemplify the existence of the Gothic within Spanish Romanticism, as these authors hispanicize the European Gothic and place it within the particularities of the Spanish context. This paper analyzes traditional Gothic elements that appear in their works: use of space as a character, fantastical elements (ghosts and other monsters), and the relationship between the victim and the aggressor, alongside cultural and historical Spanish themes, such as the myth of Don Juan, the predominance of the Catholic church, and an affinity toward the supernatural. Through combining European elements with a uniquely Spanish aesthetic, Espronceda and Bécquer create a purely Peninsular movement. 

 

Keywords: Gothic, Espronceda, Bécquer, Romanticism

Topic(s):Spanish

Presentation Type: Oral Presentation

Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA