The Ciego in the Novels of Galdós: Costumbrismo, Realism, Symbolism Vernon Chamberlin
VOL. 3, NUM. 2 SUMMER/VERANO 2006 The ciego in the Novels of Galdós: Costumbrismo, Realism, Symbolism Vernon Chamberlin Like many of his contemporaries, both in Spain and other European countries, Galdós utilized many blind characters in his novels1. Although he was unaware of the fact as he created these characters, he himself would spend his final years sightless. Individual Galdosian blind characters are sometimes mentioned by critics as part of the overall discussion of specific works, but to date there has been no study showing how pervasive the ciego is throughout the vast panorama of Galdós’s works. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to demonstrate that the ciego, and the multiplicity of his novelistic roles, is an important aspect of Galdós’s creativity from the first of his novelas de la primera época to the last of his Episodios Nacionales.2 To facilitate presentation and discussion, we have arranged these ciegos under the following headings (realizing, of course, that some might well be appropriate in more than one category): costumbrismo, realism, realism-naturalism, realism-spiritual naturalism, and echoes of Galdós’s career-ending blindness. Costumbrismo Since the time of Homer, the blind singer of adventure tales has been a prototype throughout the Mediterranean world (Caro Baroja 35). In Spain the blind singer of ballads had become a tipo costumbrista long before the advent of the realist novel. Evidence of this may be found not only in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century literature, but also in the paintings of Goya, in the sainetes of Ramón de la Cruz, in the lyric theater, in costumbrista collections of popular types, and in contemporary magazines.3 Thus, it is not surprising to find a ciego not only in the first of Galdós’s novels, La Fontana de Oro, but even in its opening chapter.
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