Sobre el autor y la obra
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Cela
o
Spain, 1916-2002
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Generation of ’36 (existentialist influence)
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Wrote during the post-Civil War period of
repression; writing reflected desire for change and liberty
o
Cela’s typical style: a sarcastic, often
grotesque, form of realism
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Testimonial novel genre (I think)
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This was his best known work; one of the most
important novels written in post-Civil-War Spain
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This work was published in Argentina originally
(1945) due to censorship in Spain – not published in Spain until 1951
Comps ideas to consider
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La novela de posguerra: de la novela existencial a la novela realista:
Camilo José Cela y Carmen Laforet
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The interaction of post-war influence and
somewhat experimental style
Generation of 36 (Wikipedia)
The generation of 1936 (Generación del 36) is the name
given to a group of Spanish artists, writers, poets and playwrights who were
working about the time of the Spanish Civil War (1936 and 1939).
This was essentially a literary
movement that suffered harsh criticism and persecution that followed from the
division of neighbors into winners and losers in the various battles of that
struggle, as well as the physical hardships and moral miseries arising from
social instability and political chaos. These were the ingredients that gave
strength to their essentially existentialist philosophy.
Secondary Source – Cambridge Companion:
Spanish Novel, Chap. 11 – Gonzalo Sobejano
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Cela declared his novel to be “a slice of life
narrated step by step” (173)
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“Its plot unfolds in Madrid – in 1942 – among a
swarm or beehive of characters who are sometimes happy and other times not”
(173)
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“Panorama of hunger” (175)
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Narrative point of view that appeared almost
objective (178)
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Conversational technique that was often
emulated (178)
From Dougherty article
(JSTOR):
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Form as
"fragmented 'trozo de vida'" that introduces experimental techniques
to post-civil war novel
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"harsh
realities of life" in post-war Madrid.
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literary
fragmentation becomes the explicit analogue of social disintegration.
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una novela en que predomina lo social sobre lo
individual
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"In the mirror
of fiction, life's paradoxes become verbal ambiguities, thematic
contradictions, formal reversals, and like literary equivalents of our common
perplexity and uncertainty."
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secondary characters
gain importance over "key protagonists", digamos.
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non-chronological
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"If, in Luces
de Bohemia, Valle-Inclán's poet could claim the alphabet as his one
remaining and sufficient right, Cela lays equal claim to the novelist's
free-election of form."
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Image of la
colmena likens Madrid to urban hive that is populated by createure
whos collective swarming appears chaotic except to a specialist trained to make
knowledgeable observations.
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Novel alternates
evening/night scenes, ends with two morning scenes...darkness to light. (Also,
breaks unity of place, moving out of Madrid to cemetery.--evokes Larra's
paradox "El cemeterio está dentro de Madrid"
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Amongst the broad
cast of characters...
o
Elvira, the aging
prostitute, is most clearly manipulated for structural purposes- shows what
will happen to other "ladies of the night"
o
Martín Marcos:
homeless, forced to wander about the city, carries the narrator's focus of
observation effortlessly throughout the city scape.
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Roberto and Filo's
marriage: commonplace life, defines a middle-class norm
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Each chapter of the
novel's central portion contains its own erotic character while being connected
to the others by repeating characters.
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Characters live in
a reduced space in Madrid: consequence? the impression that the characters
inhabit a capital whose dimensions and features are still those of a Spanish
town. Interconnectedness of community.
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The source of
society's malfunction is show to be a combination of natural proclivities
(malice, cruelty) and historical circumstances (the impact of the civil
war).
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Protagonist is
"life itself".
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Traditional
association of cities with sin establishes a powerful theme in the breakdown of
relationships. Memory of Madrid as theatre for civil war function as a factor
of disintegration of social ties.
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Also, Cela
generalizes parts of civil war to universalize it. Aggression as a natural
response to cruelty.
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Includes "concrete phenomena of modern urban
life" (taxis, radios, cinemas...like novelas de la revolución)
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Two systems of
circulation: blood in body and people in city- complex, mysterious,
etc.
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Novel's close makes
explicit the theme of community that throughout subtly challenges the
prevailing vision of dissolution.
Random Ideas
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La
voluntad de reflejar con exactitud la realidad no supone la absoluta
neutralidad del autor, que interviene de dos formas contradictorias. En la
mayoría de los casos utiliza la técnica objetivista, es decir, se limita a
mostrar, a describir desde fuera, sin penetrar en el interior de los
personajes. Otras veces, sin embargo, adopta una actitud omnisciente y comenta
irónicamente las actitudes de los personajes.
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La
prosa contiene efectos rítmicos, paralelismos, repeticiones. Predomina el tono
cortado, brusco y directo, pero a veces se abren paso fragmentos líricos, que
nos recuerdan que Cela comenzó su carrera literaria escribiendo poesía.
Themes/ideas
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Setting: post-war Madrid, 1940s
o
The events of La Colmena occur in three
days in December 1943, a date deduced from a news story which Rómulo the
bookseller reads in a newspaper, where Martín Marco's proclamation also
appears. The newspaper also informs us of the Yalta conference between the
world leaders. However, because there are no more facts, the time of the story
is offered to the reader in a vague manner: it is set in the first years of
post war Spain, and in fact it could have been set anywhere between 1941 and
1945.
o
The duration of the story is brief as everything
happens over the course of three days. The first six chapters happen in two
days and the last occurs three or four days later.
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Structure: 6 chapters, 1 epilogue
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Plot is divided into short anecdotes
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It is
the sum of these anecdotes that is important; “un conjunto de vidas cruzadas
como la celda de una colmena”
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Each chapter contains a number of short passages
describing short episodes and focusing on a particular character. In this way a
series of insignificant events and characters work together to form an
important conclusion, much in the same way that a hive of bees works together
to achieve something much more than they could achieve individually.
(Wikipedia)
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Focus:
Lo que predomina es la clase media baja, la pequeña burguesía venida a menos,
es decir, gentes en situación inestable, que tienen un futuro incierto y han de
vivir a salto de mata.
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Experimental style
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No explicit protagonist, the “protagonist” is
the city of Madrid
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Several characters (~300+)
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Somewhat experimental structure – several anecdotes,
almost episodic
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Not chronological narration
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Different tone/language – usually brisk and
curt, but sometimes more poetic
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Mix of cultured language (narration,
description) and popular/colloquial language (monologues, dialogues)
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Post-war society/influence
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Focus on people of lower social classes that are
in rather unstable positions due to the war (examination of society of the time
period)
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Realism
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Desire to narrate life as it really is
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Tells even the dirty details
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Gives representation of city life
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Idea of giving “testimony” of life how it really
is (Testimonial novel?)
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Gender, modern sexuality
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Some representation of homosexuality
o
More modern ideas about marriage (Martín says he
won’t get married unless it’s to improve his social/financial status)
o
One woman, Victorita, takes money so a man can
see her nude...yet the transaction happens in the café. (mixture of public/private, moral/"immoral", etc)
General plot notes
I)
First scene: Doña Rosa in a café.
"Los clientes de los cafés son gentes que creen que las cosas pasan porque sí, que no merece la pena poner remedio a nada." <-That idea is repeated...that things happen to us and we don't know why and we don't do much about it.
corazón del café late como el de un enfermo---again, circulation in the city. Minutiae of city life.
Pepe, a gallego, doesn't really speak Spanish that well (city vs. provinces).
Doña Rosa runs a tight ship in her café (e.g. harsh treatment of man who can't pay for his coffee).
Colloquial language (e.g. merengao...)
Modern element: "Y los cines yo creo que también tienen mucha culpa. Eso de esta todo el mundo tan mezclado y a oscuras por completo no puede traer nada bueno." (in relations b/t men and women)
News of Hitler, German army (world events)
"El café, antes de media hora, quedará vacío. Igual que un hombre al que se le hubiera borrado de repente la memoria."
II)
I)
First scene: Doña Rosa in a café.
"Los clientes de los cafés son gentes que creen que las cosas pasan porque sí, que no merece la pena poner remedio a nada." <-That idea is repeated...that things happen to us and we don't know why and we don't do much about it.
corazón del café late como el de un enfermo---again, circulation in the city. Minutiae of city life.
Pepe, a gallego, doesn't really speak Spanish that well (city vs. provinces).
Doña Rosa runs a tight ship in her café (e.g. harsh treatment of man who can't pay for his coffee).
Colloquial language (e.g. merengao...)
Modern element: "Y los cines yo creo que también tienen mucha culpa. Eso de esta todo el mundo tan mezclado y a oscuras por completo no puede traer nada bueno." (in relations b/t men and women)
News of Hitler, German army (world events)
"El café, antes de media hora, quedará vacío. Igual que un hombre al que se le hubiera borrado de repente la memoria."
II)
Story of señor Ramón, panadero. "Abrió
la tahona, se casó, tuvo doce hijos, compró un calendario, y se sentó a ver
pasar el tiempo."
"A Martín Marco le preocupa el problema social. No tiene ideas muy claras sobre nada, pero le preocupa el problema social...'Es mejor que seamos todos iguales, ni muy pobres ni muy ricos.' " (Idealist).
People in the bar. Stories of poverty, people just getting by. "La señorita Elvira se conforma con poco, pero ese poco casi nunca lo consigue." People always seem to be coming up short when they need to pay their bill at the bar.
"Mauricio Segovio es bondadoso, como todos los pelirrojos" hahah!
"El señor Suárez sonrió, casi con rubor. --Qué guapetón estás, Pepe. ---¡Cállate, besta, que te van a oír." *homosexuality/alt. lifestyle is represented.
Doña Margot muere ahorcada con una toalla.
III)
"A Martín Marco le preocupa el problema social. No tiene ideas muy claras sobre nada, pero le preocupa el problema social...'Es mejor que seamos todos iguales, ni muy pobres ni muy ricos.' " (Idealist).
People in the bar. Stories of poverty, people just getting by. "La señorita Elvira se conforma con poco, pero ese poco casi nunca lo consigue." People always seem to be coming up short when they need to pay their bill at the bar.
"Mauricio Segovio es bondadoso, como todos los pelirrojos" hahah!
"El señor Suárez sonrió, casi con rubor. --Qué guapetón estás, Pepe. ---¡Cállate, besta, que te van a oír." *homosexuality/alt. lifestyle is represented.
Doña Margot muere ahorcada con una toalla.
III)
Included in colloquialisms is rough speech. "¡Mi
cuñada es una bestia parda! Si no fuera por las niñas, ya le había puesto yo
las peras a cuarto hace una temporada! ...Estas tías godas y medio bebidas no
suelen durar mucho."
The two Spains- the 3 pm café-goers and the 7 pm café goers. Author makes fun of their enemistad.
Gay men are arrested.
Talk of converting "chinitos chiquitines" -- shows naivete/lack of worldliness...
"Doña Celia es muy sentimenal, es una dueña de casa de citas muy sentimental..."
Martín: "Ya me casaré cuando se me presente una buena proposición...casarse para no salir de pobre, no merece la pena" (attitudes towards social insitutions).
**seems like the women (quizá putas) often lend money to men...
IV)
The two Spains- the 3 pm café-goers and the 7 pm café goers. Author makes fun of their enemistad.
Gay men are arrested.
Talk of converting "chinitos chiquitines" -- shows naivete/lack of worldliness...
"Doña Celia es muy sentimenal, es una dueña de casa de citas muy sentimental..."
Martín: "Ya me casaré cuando se me presente una buena proposición...casarse para no salir de pobre, no merece la pena" (attitudes towards social insitutions).
**seems like the women (quizá putas) often lend money to men...
IV)
Again,
speaking to the inculto nature of the people of the barrio..." los
clientes de los cines de barrio, los hombres que no saben nunca quiénes son los
directores..."
Victorita: "Ella no concía a nadie que tuviera diez duros ahorrados, a nadie que no viviese de un jornal..."
One of the men comes to visit one of the girls. Do you like to dance? "Muchas gracias caballero; estoy algo cansada. He estado baliando toda la noche." (irony) --> "El rito es el mismo todas las noches, las palabras que se diced, poco más o menos, también." (monotony)
One woman, Victorita, takes money so a man can see her nude...yet the transaction happens in the café. (mixture of public/private, moral/"immoral", etc)
Now, man wants to offer Victorita $ for some services from her and her bf.
"Cuando falta cariño, hay que buscar calor."
Men vs. woman "Cientos y cientos de bachilleres caen en el íntimo, en su sublime y delicadísimo vicio solitario. Y algunas docenas de mujeres esperan-¿qué esperan, Dios mío?, ¿Por qué las tienes tan engañadas?--con la mente llena de dorados sueños."
V)
Victorita: "Ella no concía a nadie que tuviera diez duros ahorrados, a nadie que no viviese de un jornal..."
One of the men comes to visit one of the girls. Do you like to dance? "Muchas gracias caballero; estoy algo cansada. He estado baliando toda la noche." (irony) --> "El rito es el mismo todas las noches, las palabras que se diced, poco más o menos, también." (monotony)
One woman, Victorita, takes money so a man can see her nude...yet the transaction happens in the café. (mixture of public/private, moral/"immoral", etc)
Now, man wants to offer Victorita $ for some services from her and her bf.
"Cuando falta cariño, hay que buscar calor."
Men vs. woman "Cientos y cientos de bachilleres caen en el íntimo, en su sublime y delicadísimo vicio solitario. Y algunas docenas de mujeres esperan-¿qué esperan, Dios mío?, ¿Por qué las tienes tan engañadas?--con la mente llena de dorados sueños."
V)
Victorita
tells Mario "Estoy muy harta. Mi novio se salva con unos duros. No me
importa ponerle los cuernos. Lo que me importa es sacarlo adelante. Si ud. me
lo cura, yo me lío con ud. hasta que se harte."...she's quite
desperate.
More stories...woman getting sick and things smelling like onions. Another wanting to save up to buy a pair of glasses...finds 5 duros in the bathroom (?) Later, the new novio of Julia finds out that he's missing those 5 duros...not clear HOW they got from his pocket to bathroom floor....
VI)
More stories...woman getting sick and things smelling like onions. Another wanting to save up to buy a pair of glasses...finds 5 duros in the bathroom (?) Later, the new novio of Julia finds out that he's missing those 5 duros...not clear HOW they got from his pocket to bathroom floor....
VI)
Martín
escucha "los ruidos de la ciudad, su alborotado latido" (again,
circulation and the city...)
Story of a 16 year old, her baby dies and throws it in the river....
Back to Doña Rosa in her café. "Todo esto es mío, mi trabajo me costó levantarlo."
"La mañana, esa mañana eternamente repetida, juega un poco, sin embargo, a cambiar la faz de la ciudad, ese sepulcro, esa cucaña, esa colmena..." (monotony and almost rebirth...)
Final:
Martín in the cemetery, December. Allusion to WWII. Martín reads tombstones (everyone dies-rich/poor, young/old, etc.)
Goes from "Padre nuestro, que estás en el cielo" to "madre mía, que estás en la tumba" & Martín is pleased with his new prayer.
"Martín nota que la vida, saliendo a las afueras a respirar el aire puro, tiene unos matices más tiernos, más delicados que viviendo constantemente hundido en la ciudad."
Story of a 16 year old, her baby dies and throws it in the river....
Back to Doña Rosa in her café. "Todo esto es mío, mi trabajo me costó levantarlo."
"La mañana, esa mañana eternamente repetida, juega un poco, sin embargo, a cambiar la faz de la ciudad, ese sepulcro, esa cucaña, esa colmena..." (monotony and almost rebirth...)
Final:
Martín in the cemetery, December. Allusion to WWII. Martín reads tombstones (everyone dies-rich/poor, young/old, etc.)
Goes from "Padre nuestro, que estás en el cielo" to "madre mía, que estás en la tumba" & Martín is pleased with his new prayer.
"Martín nota que la vida, saliendo a las afueras a respirar el aire puro, tiene unos matices más tiernos, más delicados que viviendo constantemente hundido en la ciudad."
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