Leopoldo Alas y Ureña
Encyclopedia
Leopoldo García-Alas y Ureña (25 April 1852 – 13 June 1901), also known as Clarín, was a Asturian
realist
novelist born in Zamora. He died in Oviedo
.
Alas spent his childhood living in León
and Guadalajara
, until he moved to Oviedo
in 1865. There he studied Bachillerato (high school) and began his law
studies. He lived in Madrid
from 1871 to 1878, where he began his career as a journalist (adopting the pen-name "Clarín" in 1875) and he graduated with the thesis
El Derecho y la Moralidad (Law and Morality) in 1878. He taught in Zaragoza
from 1882 to 1883. In 1883 he returned to Oviedo to take up a position as professor of Roman law.
Above all, Clarín is the author of La Regenta
, his masterpiece and one of the best novels of the 19th century. It is a long work, similar to Flaubert's Madame Bovary
, one of its influences. Other influences included Naturalism
and Krausism, a philosophical current which promoted the cultural and ethical regeneration of Spain.
La Regenta is special for its great wealth of characters and secondary stories, while the main character's description is left slightly unfocused and vague. On the other hand, the downfall of the provincial lady has place amidst two very diverse suitors: the most handsome man in the city and the cathedral's priest. The depiction of this priest is a key part of the book.
For the description of the provincial atmosphere and the city's collective life, Clarín used techniques such as the internal monologue
or the free indirect style, which makes the story be narrated by the characters themselves and allows the reader to penetrate in their intimacy.
In 1890, he published a new novel, Su único hijo. Even though most critics consider it as a lesser novel in comparison with La Regenta, it is equal to the former in the skill with which the technical resources are used. Su único hijo was originally meant to be the introduction to a trilogy, but aside from an outline and a few fragments of the two sequels, Su único hijo was Clarín's last full-length novel.
Apart from these works, Clarín is also the author of magnificent stories and of a large number of journalistic articles. He also wrote an essay, "La Literatura en 1881" (1882), in collaboration with Armando Palacio Valdés
.
Leopoldo Alas remains a rather enigmatic figure in the Spanish literary world, leaving a legacy that encouraged the search for God and humanism
simultaneously. This aberrant confluence has facilitated the presence of various interpretations regarding the author's writings, most noticeably of his masterpiece, La Regenta.
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
realist
Spanish Realist literature
Spanish Realist literature is the literature written in Spain during the second half of the 19th century, following the Realist movement which predominated in Europe....
novelist born in Zamora. He died in Oviedo
Oviedo
Oviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city....
.
Alas spent his childhood living in León
León, Spain
León is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population...
and Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Spain
Guadalajara is a city and municipality in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain, and in the natural region of La Alcarria. It is the capital of the province of Guadalajara. It is located roughly 60 km northeast of Madrid on the Henares River, and has a population of 83,789...
, until he moved to Oviedo
Oviedo
Oviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city....
in 1865. There he studied Bachillerato (high school) and began his law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
studies. He lived in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
from 1871 to 1878, where he began his career as a journalist (adopting the pen-name "Clarín" in 1875) and he graduated with the thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
El Derecho y la Moralidad (Law and Morality) in 1878. He taught in Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
from 1882 to 1883. In 1883 he returned to Oviedo to take up a position as professor of Roman law.
Above all, Clarín is the author of La Regenta
La regenta
La Regenta is a realist novel by Spanish author Leopoldo Alas y Ureña, also known as Clarín, published in 1884 and 1885.-Plot:The story is set in Vetusta , where the main character of the work, Ana Ozores "La Regenta", marries the former prime magistrate of the city, Víctor Quintanar, a kind...
, his masterpiece and one of the best novels of the 19th century. It is a long work, similar to Flaubert's Madame Bovary
Madame Bovary
Madame Bovary is Gustave Flaubert's first published novel and is considered his masterpiece. The story focuses on a doctor's wife, Emma Bovary, who has adulterous affairs and lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life...
, one of its influences. Other influences included Naturalism
Naturalism (literature)
Naturalism was a literary movement taking place from the 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character...
and Krausism, a philosophical current which promoted the cultural and ethical regeneration of Spain.
La Regenta is special for its great wealth of characters and secondary stories, while the main character's description is left slightly unfocused and vague. On the other hand, the downfall of the provincial lady has place amidst two very diverse suitors: the most handsome man in the city and the cathedral's priest. The depiction of this priest is a key part of the book.
For the description of the provincial atmosphere and the city's collective life, Clarín used techniques such as the internal monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
or the free indirect style, which makes the story be narrated by the characters themselves and allows the reader to penetrate in their intimacy.
In 1890, he published a new novel, Su único hijo. Even though most critics consider it as a lesser novel in comparison with La Regenta, it is equal to the former in the skill with which the technical resources are used. Su único hijo was originally meant to be the introduction to a trilogy, but aside from an outline and a few fragments of the two sequels, Su único hijo was Clarín's last full-length novel.
Apart from these works, Clarín is also the author of magnificent stories and of a large number of journalistic articles. He also wrote an essay, "La Literatura en 1881" (1882), in collaboration with Armando Palacio Valdés
Armando Palacio Valdés
Armando Palacio Valdés was a Spanish novelist and critic.-Biography:Valdés was born at Entralgo in the province of Asturias on the October 4, 1853.His first writings were printed in the Revista Europea...
.
Leopoldo Alas remains a rather enigmatic figure in the Spanish literary world, leaving a legacy that encouraged the search for God and humanism
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
simultaneously. This aberrant confluence has facilitated the presence of various interpretations regarding the author's writings, most noticeably of his masterpiece, La Regenta.
Works
- La RegentaLa regentaLa Regenta is a realist novel by Spanish author Leopoldo Alas y Ureña, also known as Clarín, published in 1884 and 1885.-Plot:The story is set in Vetusta , where the main character of the work, Ana Ozores "La Regenta", marries the former prime magistrate of the city, Víctor Quintanar, a kind...
(The Regent's Wife) (1884–85) [Novel] - Su único hijo (His Only Son) (1890) [Novel]
- Doña Berta (1892)
- ¡Adiós, Cordera!¡Adiós, Cordera!¡Adiós, Cordera! is a Spanish short story written by Leopoldo Alas . It is a realistic story, with some naturalistic elements. The story comments on the problems of Spain, such as the Guerra Carlista....
(1892) - Cuentos morales (Moral Stories) (1896)
- El gallo de Sócrates (Socrates' Rooster) (1900)
Essays
- "Solos de Clarín" (1881)
- "La literatura en 1881" (1882)
- "Sermón perdido" (1885)
- "Nueva campaña" (1887)
- "Ensayos y revistas" (1892)
- "Palique" (1894)