The Short Stories of Benito Perez Galdós

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide the first thorough and systematic study of Galdós cuentos, to discover and describe their nature, to relate them to his total work and to suggest what they reveal about the artist and his development. Each story\u27s literary elements are identified and discussed in terms of their function within the organic whole. The elements considered are the use of costumbrismo, dominant orientation, humor, language, literary resonance, lyricism, point of view, structure and symbolism. Chapter l reviews the major critics and outlines the general characteristics of Galdós\u27 artistry that are related to the ·short stories. Chapter ll surveys Galdós\u27 early creative activity and suggests its relationship to the cuentos. Chapters Ill and IV treat the first period (1870-1872) stories, which are humorous, satirical and realistic. Chapter V studies the second period (1872-1887) stories, which are lyrical, metaphysical and fantastic. Chapter VI presents an overview of all the cuentos