

LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1898. 



405 



barrenness. Besides, literary development, we are 

 told, is hampered by criticism, which is guided by 



Erinciples really foreign to its field, judging writers 

 y their relation to social questions instead of by 

 aesthetic laws. 



Spain. The inferiority of Spanish historians is 

 due not to lack of research, says a Spanish writer, 

 but to " poverty in the development of their sub- 

 ject, and limitation in their points of view," produ- 

 cing bare narrative and unimportant erudite detail. 

 " The Spanish historical school appears indifferent 

 to ideas, and in most cases is quite unaffected by 

 any national feeling of a reasoned character as dis- 



Itinguished from superficial and vulgur chauvinism." 

 Noteworthy historical publications are Julian Ri- 

 bera's " Los Origenes del Justicia de Aragon" (an 

 obscure and debated point ; author finds the " ori- 

 gins" in Mohammedan institutions); Dan Vila's val- 

 uable and useful " Historia critica y documentada de 

 las Comunidades de Castilla " ; " Relaciones geografi- 



cas de Indias (four volumes, 1881, '85, '97), edited 

 by S. Jimenez de la Espada (important ; reports by 

 navigators and officials in America during the pe- 

 riod of discovery) ; Bethencourt's " Historia gene- 

 ral y heraldica de la Monarquia Espanola " ; Uha- 

 gon's excellent " Ordenes militares" ; G. Fournier's 

 " Ensayo de Geografia historica de Espana," Vol. II, 



i incomplete ; " Lusitania Celtiberica," by Arenas 

 Lopez (endeavors to prove existence of this district); 

 Murguia's biography of " D. Diego Gelmirez "; Vi- 

 llalba's " Ruiz de Padron y su Tiempo," and " Aven- 

 turas y Desventuras de un Soldado viejo," by Gen. 

 Nogues, both illustrating political history in this 

 century; Rafael Altamira y Crevea's "De Historia 

 y Arte " (critical studies ; " solid erudition ") : and 

 Guichot's " Historia del Ayuntamiento de Sevilla " 

 (diligent investigation). Font's " Determinacio de 

 les Comarques naturals e historiques de Catalunya " 

 (in " Joch florals" for 1897) expresses the local 

 feeling in Catalonia " the one current of sentiment 

 sufficiently remarkable to be noted " as do also 

 Carreras y Candi's " Hegemonia de Barcelona en 

 Cataluua durante el SigloXV"; and A.Bori yFon- 

 testa's " Historia de Cataluna." The Basques, too, 

 are giving increased attention to the history of their 

 country ; their " Biblioteca Bascongada " includes 

 " Los Isunzas de Vitoria," by Apraiz, Arturo Cam- 

 pion's " Euskariana. 2 a Serie : Fantasia y Realidad," 

 Olascoaga's " El Arbol de Guernica." " Fueros, 

 Privilegios, Franquezas y Libertades del Senorio de 

 Vizcaya." Mario Arozena's " La Derrota de Hora- 

 cio Nelson (25 de Julio de 1797) " recalls the literary 

 movement in the Canaries. Interesting in the light 

 of recent events are Jose Muller y Tejeiro's " Corn- 

 bates y Capitulacion de Santiago de Cuba"; R. 

 Cappa's " Estudios criticos acerca de la Dominacion 

 espanola en America" (Vol. XXVI); Jesuit Fran- 

 cisco Foradada's " La Soberania de Espana en Fili- 

 pinas " ; and M. Sastr6n's La Insurreccion en Fili- 

 pinas." Archaeological works worth noting: El Mo- 

 nasterio de San Pablo de Valladolid " by Paz, and 

 Tarin's " La Real Cartuja de Miraflores " and " La 

 Cartuja de Porta Caeli." Dilettanteism produces 

 many useless publications in this field. Ecclesias- 

 tical history : Font's " Episcopologi Ampurita " ; 

 Garay's interesting " El Comunismo de las Misiones 

 de la Compania de Jesus en el Paraguay " ; and Lo- 

 renzo Moret y Remisa's "Del Cristianismo en Es- 

 pana como Elemento de la Nacionalidad," a tribute 

 to Catholicism. A. M. Fabie's " Ensayo historico 

 de la Legislacion espafiola en sus Estados de Ultra- 

 mar " fills " a conspicuous gap." The Conde de 

 Cedillo and Sanchez Ocana write on " Contribucio- 

 nes de Leon y Castilla en la Edad Media" (not ex- 

 haustive). Sociology attracts few ; only Sales y 

 Ferre's "Tratado de Sociologia" is noted. Cala- 

 buig writes of " La Casa ensenanza " of Valencia. 



Giner de los Rios and Calderon present an important 

 " Filosofia del Derecho." Pedro Dorado studies 

 " El Reformatorio de Elmira." Ganivet's " La Con- 



3uista del Reino de Maya por el tiltimo Conquista- 

 or espafiol Pio Cid," and "Idearium espafiof " are 

 " a species of philosophy of the history of Spain 

 and an ideal programme of our political future," ex- 

 pressing" the feeling prevailing among our thought- 

 ful young men." Sanz y Escartin's "Federico 

 Nietzsche y el Anarquismo intelectual " is not pro- 

 found, but good. Art literature : Baron de Alcaha- 

 li's " Diccipnario de Artistas Valencianos " ; Le- 

 guina's curious " Maestros Espaderos " ; and F. Pe- 

 drell's " Diccionario biografico y bibliografico de 

 Musicos y Escritores de Miisica espafioles, portu- 

 gueses e hispano-americanos. . . ." Literary criti- 

 cism : Fernandez Guerra's introduction (edited by 

 Menendez y Pelayo) to the " Obras completas de 

 Don Francisco de Quevedo y Villegas," issued by 

 the Society of Bibliofilos Andaluces; monographs 

 by Cotarelo on Yriarte, Lomba on P. Arolas (sound 

 judgment ; great erudition), and Catalinay Garcia on 

 Fr. Jose de Siguenza; M. Aramburo y Machado's 

 " Personalidad literaria de Dona Gertrudis Gomez 

 de Avellaneda " ; and O'Callaghan's " Codices de la 

 Catedral de Tortosa." Linguistic studies are " Gra- 

 matica del Poema del Cid." by Araujo Gomez ; 

 " Apuntes gramaticales sobre el Romance gallego 

 de la Cronica Troyana," by Rodriguez; Mugica's 

 " Marafia del Diccionario de la Academia"; and 

 Ximenez de Embun's " La Lengua espafiola en el 

 Siglo de Oro de su Literatura." Gener's " Amigos 

 y Maestros " and " Ixart," by Sarda and Muste, are 

 "critical works." 



While there is an increase in historical works, 

 the total number of books published is less, espe- 

 cially in belles-lettres. The most notable novel is 

 "El'Abuelo" (a "modern King Lear," a "semi- 

 dramatic novel " ), by B. Perez Galdos, who has 

 begun a third series of " Episodios nacionales " with 

 " Zumalacarregui " (interesting ; one of his best). 

 Other prose fiction includes Juan Valera's "-A vuela 

 Pluma " and " De varies Colores " (stories and 

 sketches : not very important) ; Emilia Pardo 

 Bazan's " El Tesoro de Gaston," " El Saludo de las 

 Brujas," and " Cuentos de Amor"; Arturo Cam- 

 pion's " Blancos y Negros (Guerra en la Paz) " 

 (" sober and vigorous realism " ) ; Juan Ochoa " Un 

 Alma de Dios " (graceful) ; Pascual Queral's di- 

 dactic " La Ley del Embudo, a political satire 

 against caciquismo (bossism) ; " El Hagar de la 

 Vinuela," by Arturo Reyes (picture of Andalusian 

 customs). " In general, there is observed in the new 

 novelists ... a better unfolding of the descriptive 

 faculties than of the art of composition." Poetical 

 works listed are Eusebio Blasco's " Corazonadas " ; 

 Herrero's " Poetas del Amor " (translations from 

 Kalidasa and Heine) ; Vaamonde's " Dialogos " ; 

 Gil's " La Caja de Miisica " ; " Pasaxeiras. Colec- 

 ci6n de Poesias gallegas," by Jesus Rodriguez 

 Lopez, (well written ; knowledge of native land) ; 

 and " Poesia "(" Biblioteca Bascongada") by Juan 

 Arzadun, (noteworthy, despite defects). There is 

 little new dramatic literature : Guimera's " Tierra 

 baja " ; the late Feliu y Codina's " Lo Nuvi " ; 

 Echegaray's " La Duda " (failure) ; and a transla- 

 tion and arrangement of " Antony and Cleopatra," 

 produced by Selles. A writer in "EspaSa mo- 

 derna " deplores the decadence which " touches the 

 limits of inanity." Only that which is considered 

 useful is read, and the preponderating " industrial 

 literature " includes schoolbooks, devotional lit- 

 erature, and one-act farces ! Examples of these 

 one-act zarzuelas (written in the language of the 

 chulos. with its vulgar jokes and double-entendres) 

 are " La Revoltosa," by Fernandez Shaw and Lopez 

 Silva ; F. Shaw's "LosHijos del Bata lion "; "La 



