MIGUEL DE UNAMUNO: TRES NOVELAS EJEMPLARES Y UN PROLOGO

 

 

If you find the Prologue very difficult at first, don't worry. Skim-read it before reading the three 'Novels' and then come back to it in detail once you have read them -- because unless you are familiar with other works by Unamuno, it'll probably make more sense that way round! Some Tripos questions are given below, but here are some basic prompt questions to think about while reading the Prologue and Novels:

 

• What is Unamuno's concept of 'realism'?
• How is it different from what he calls 'reality' -- "la realidad íntima"?
• Why does Unamuno say that an "hombre de carne y hueso" is no more 'real' than a fictional human being?
• In what ways is "voluntad" or lack of it important to the 'identity' of the characters in these novels?
• What is the relationship of characters to social codes in the novels?
• What is their relationship to biblical or literary mythologies?
• What are the most obvious points which the novels have in common?
• Could they all in some sense be said to be about 'the problematic construction of identity', amongst other things? What other things?

 

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Choose one of the following Tripos questions or find your own from past papers. Questions from Section I are normal Part One questions, but if you feel like a challenge, or want to get to grips with the underlying currents of Unamuno's thought, try your hand at a question from Section II.

 

 

I.  Basic Part One questions:

 

1.  Discuss how far Unamuno explores issues of procreation and lineage in the Tres novelas ejemplares .

2.  "Unamuno omits a great deal of information from his narratives." Discuss what sort of information is omitted, and the contribution made by the omissions to the dynamics of the Tres novelas ejemplares.

3.  Consider which of the Tres novelas ejemplares shows the most forceful case of "lucha".

4.  "Unamuno's characters are not human beings, and as such cannot engage our sympathies." Discuss.

5.  In what sense may Unamuno's Tres novelas ejemplares be said to be exemplary?

 

 

II. More challenging questions:

 

6.  "Todo es para nosotros libro, lectura [...] Somos bíblicos" (UNAMUNO). To what extent do the characters of Tres novelas ejemplares appear to be caught up in fictional, literary, mythological or biblical moulds, and what is the significance of this?

7.  "Unamuno's work advocates the subversive doctrine that passion is more important than stability or order." Discuss with reference to Tres novelas ejemplares.

8.  "El dolor es sustancia de la vida y la raíz de la persona‑lidad, pues sólo sufriendo se hace persona" (UNAMUNO). Discuss with reference to Tres novelas ejemplares.

 

 

Information posted by: Geoffrey Kantaris