6 research outputs found
Revisiting âplaceâ in a realist novel: âThinking spaceâ in GaldĂłsâs Torquemada en la hoguera (1889)
Departing from the premise that GaldĂłsâs close engagement with space and place deserves to be at the forefront of scholarly attention, this article provides an in-depth study of their significance in Torquemada en la hoguera. It begins by analysing the relationship between the novelâs locations and the real world, demonstrating that the author codes the city of Madrid to express social concerns and promote reader engagement. It then proceeds to examine the public and private spheres, before highlighting the âplace of the imaginationâ in the novel. It reveals that, as in GaldĂłsâs press articles, reality is used as a springboard in Torquemada en la hoguera and, drawing upon recent theories, it posits that places serve as a framework for engaging readers with contemporary concerns and as an imaginative springboard for GaldĂłs. They trigger what is effectively a âthinking spaceâ for the author and it is through unravelling their significance that we can fully appreciate GaldĂłsâs psychological sensitivity, the novelâs modernity, its symbolic value, and imaginative depth. The article concludes by proposing that GaldĂłsâs works deserve to be re-examined as âNovels of the Geographical Imaginationâ and urges readers to revisit the significance of space and place therein