Juanita La Larga (Spanish Edition) - Softcover

Valera, Juan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1406803898 ISBN 13: 9781406803891

Publisher: Echo Library, 2006

Synopsis

Juanita La Larga (1896), the third of Juan Valera's eponymous novels with a female protagonist, unfolds in a small town in nineteenth-century Spain and tells the story of a young girl's romance with a wealthy widower many years her senior. In addition to their substantial difference in years and class, the lovers must contend with the indignation of his imperious married daughter, the public rebuke of a churchman, and the strictures of society. As the novel opens, readers are introduced to Juanita in the exuberance of youth. We witness her maturation into a young woman and along the way we watch as she learns to deal with humiliation, anger, jealousy, and a pride that makes for bittersweet moments. Juanita reveals a cunning personality that is complemented by a dogged determination and an iron will; once she realizes what she wants in life neither the fear of reprisal nor the prospect of ostracism deters her. Other well-conceived, well-delineated characters are Juana, Juanita's mother and village do-it-all; Dona Ines, the haughty, sanctimonious daughter of the widower Don Paco who falls head over heels in love with Juanita and wants to marry her; Don Alvaro Roldan, Dona Ines's dissolute husband; and Don Policarpo, the town druggist. This charming work appears here for the first time in English and is elegantly translated by Robert M. Fedorchek. Juanita la Larga gives Valera an opportunity to describe, in loving detail, life in an Andalusian hamlet: its social levels, political intrigues, religious observances, rustic amenities, and hearty fare. But above all it offers a vibrant picture of Juanita, a worthy sister to other Valera heroines like Pepita of Pepita Jimenez (1874) and Luz ofDona Luz (1879).

About this title

From the Publisher

A real classic in Spanish literature.

About the Author

Juan Valera (1824-1905). Escritor español que se opuso al naturalismo y al realismo social y se decantó por la novela psicológica. Miembro de la Real Academia Española desde 1862, de una amplia cultura, en particular con gran conocimiento de la grecolatina, es considerado el mejor crítico literario del siglo XIX después de Menéndez Pelayo. Su obra, centrada en dos temas fundamentales (los conflictos amorosos y los religiosos) se caracteriza por su corrección, precisión, sencillez y armonía; consideraba que la novela debe reflejar la vida, pero de una manera idealizada y embellecida, eliminando los aspectos penosos y crudos de la realidad, porque es un arte y su fin es la creación de la belleza.

About this edition

• Publisher: Echo Library
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1406803898
• ISBN 13: 9781406803891
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160