Doña Perfecta

In Spanish, annotated edition. Witness to the devastating effect of the religious problem in Spain -more acute during the first years of the the Bourbon Restoration (1875)- and the terrible clash between the Europeanized, liberal, egalitarian spirit and the traditionalist, provincial spirit, that opposed with ferocious fanaticism any new ideas that might challenge their cherished beliefs, Benito Perez Galdos believed that religiousness exceeded the personal questions and was tearing apart families, not to mention the entire nation. He thus set to write Dona Perfecta: a warning cry about a theocratical and mummified society in which the self-interest of the Church (Don Inocencio) caused it to work with the feudal landowners (Dona Perfecta) to stir up local political bosses and guerrilla leaders (Caballuco), who in turn lead the labradores and peasants (el tio Paso Largo, Frasquito Gonzalez, Jose Esteban Romanero) to slaughter. If Juan Valera's Pepita Jimenez can be considered the epitome of the idealistic Spanish XIX century novel, Dona Perfecta seems to be Perez Galdos' answer or rebuttal.