Visor de obras.

Not until recently has Benito Pérez Galdós' first novel, La sombra, become a subject of serious scholarly concern.⁷⁸ Yet, most critics study the work from a single perspective: how this early effort relates to Galdós' later writings.⁷⁹ Certainly, such studies are valuable tools for the appreciation of his works. In La sombra the reader immediately recognizes Galdós' penchant for social commentary and his fascination with the fantastic; however, his treatment of them in this short piece seems somewhat subdued. The vague barbs which he aims at society lack impact, as does this harmless jab at social gossip mongers:

Such bland criticism would arouse little controversy or disapproval. This same cautious attitude is evidenced in this novel by Galdós' treatment of the fantastic, an area only selectively tread upon by many of the realists among Galdós' contemporaries.⁸¹ At first, La sombra appears to be constructed upon a fantastic foundation: poor Doctor Anselmo is persecuted by a dashing rival who materializes from a haunting canvas hanging in the Doctor's home. This premise and several other seemingly inexplicable events insinuate the supernatural. However, the novel's conclusion deliberately destroys this illusion. Using scientific data to explain Anselmo's condition, the narrator diagnoses his problem as «una imaginación enferma», (p. 223). Anselmo, himself, further explains the genesis of his affliction by introducing the possibility of a «dislocación encefálica» accompanied by a change in «los nervios ópticos», (p. 224).⁸² The protagonist also mentions that «mi padre fue perseguido también por una sombra...» (p. 224), raising the question of an inherited disease. As Anselmo has been portrayed consistently as a man controlled by his fantasies and incapable of functioning in the real world, it is especially ironic that he should be the one to mention the probable cause of his illness. And it is also ironic that Galdós should work so hard to convince the reader that Anselmo may indeed be pursued by a ghost or shadow, only to dismiss summarily this eventuality and exorcise any trace of the fantastic.

This abrupt change is consistent with the chaotic tone of La sombra. Confusion is the norm as frenzied scenes interrupt one another. Occasionally, Anselmo's piecemeal narration is upstaged by reality or lost in lengthy descriptions, as will be discussed later in this paper. The reader must proceed patiently, for La sombra is not as disjointed as it first appears to be. Upon close examination, this brief narrative reveals itself as a carefully conceived   —34→   and controlled exercise in irony. With his enigmatic juxtaposition of fantasy and reality, Galdós creates the ironic illusion.

Far from the simple fantastic narrative which it initially threatens, La sombra delivers a cat-and-mouse game, with the reader simultaneously chasing his own prey and being preyed upon by the author. Galdós toys ironically with his protagonist and his reader in a quasi-pointillistic composite of both well-known and personal fantasies. He bombards the reader with visual stimuli. Having previously both written and reviewed plays, Galdós is acutely aware of the visual impact of his words. He laughingly describes the multiple peculiarities of Anselmo's home, and, in so doing, invites the audience to share his ridicule of him. When, later in the novel, it becomes clear that Anselmo is more to be pitied than laughed at, the reader cannot help but feel a twinge of remorse for his own earlier lack of sympathy. Galdós deludes the reader into trusting his instincts and then pulls the rug from under his feet. He begins this deception with a fusion of literary and visual fantasies.

Early in the novel, the narrator⁸³ gives an account of Anselmo's home. Only the method of presentation prevents this abode from appearing as that of any other typical, mad scientist. By «chaotically enumerating» the many items in the room, Galdós imparts a sense of hurried movement to this flurry of decidedly inanimate objects. The reader's eye jumps over this collection of carefully selected absurdities. A superficial inventory of this room includes a smirking skeleton sporting a quixotic cauldron, rusted armor,⁸⁴ a partially dissected, decaying bird, a stuffed snake, the remnants of a guitar, and assorted weapons. Reigning over this crumbling kingdom is an anguished, twisted Christ:

A figure of Christ is found in many typical Spanish homes. However, Anselmo's home is strictly atypical, as is this particular icon. With an eye for irony, Galdós creates a crucifix which complements his decor. In this way, he adds an element of pathos to an otherwise cliché-ridden mockery of the good Doctor. In choosing the religious term romería to describe the swarm of flies which must have congregated on this figure of Christ, Galdós further heightens the religious irony. Anselmo, who at first seems too silly to be taken seriously, is an alienated being. He is one of society's victims,⁸⁵ ostracized because his quixotic illusions do not coincide with theirs, and paranoid because he cannot live without society's approval. The description of the room continues:

As if the articles mentioned were not bizarre enough, Galdós makes certain that the reader finds them so by adding that they are illuminated by a strange, inebriating light. This passage, besides inviting the reader to imagine these unusual visual effects, also suggests to the reader that the narrator may be   —35→   affected by this light. Therefore, the reliability of the narrator himself is questioned.

Visual images play a major role throughout La sombra, and painting is especially important to the novel's development. For example, Galdós evokes canvasses of Teniers while describing the «animales estrambóticos» (p. 191), in Anselmo's residence.⁸⁶ In addition, the reader soon learns that the Doctor grew up surrounded by his father's collection of Renaissance art (p. 194). One painting in particular attracted him, and it is around this portrait of Paris and Helen of Troy that the plot of La sombra revolves. Anselmo is obsessed with this picture, and it has become a part of him even before he marries his Helen. He tells the narrator:

This painting of Paris is alive to Anselmo, who cannot separate this visual experience from his real, personal ones. And, for a time, the reader shares Anselmo's confusion. Not until the novel's denouement do the protagonist's delusions sort themselves out and do the reader's doubts resolve themselves. Galdós simulates Anselmo's confusion in the reader's mind, and ironically demonstrates that this eccentric character is not as unique as he may appear. Anselmo stresses that this painting impressed everyone, not just the Doctor.

The incarnation of an artistic creation is not a new literary theme and suggests such other Greek legends as that of Pygmalion. However, unlike the treatment of the original legends of Paris and Pygmalion, Galdós approaches his version humorously. He uses wry irony to mask the story's more serious implications: art's debt to and relationship with reality.⁸⁷

In La sombra, visual imagery coexists with an abundance of specific literary references. In fact, one might liken the novel to a literary crossword puzzle into which clues are woven and overlapped. The late nineteenth-century reader, as well as the educated modern reader, experiences a strange sense of familiarity upon starting La sombra. Many references, both obvious and subtle, are made to Cervantes' masterpiece. First of all, the ambiguity of the narrator recalls the Quijote. Exactly how does the narrator know Anselmo, and what relationship does he have to Galdós? Also, the name Anselmo is the same as that of the protagonist of «El curioso impertinente»,⁸⁸ a fact which might be disregarded if both stories did not deal with the theme of the jealous husband. As we have indicated, the rusty armor and the basin helmet remind the reader of Don Quijote; so does the physical description of Anselmo. The narrator portrays him as aged and skinny, and writes of his character:

Anselmo is a dreamer whose fantasy shapes his life. His voracious imagination forages through tome after tome, in the manner of Don Quijote:

With its own jumble of literary allusions, La sombra recreates the literary confusion of Anselmo's quixotic mind. Reference is also made to the creator of Alonso Quijano. As if to evoke Cervantes, «el manco de Lepanto», Galdós sadly writes of Anselmo: «la mano izquierda no era del todo expedita». (p. 192)

Throughout this work there is conscious and constant tension between fiction and fact, fantasy and reality, for the boundaries of each realm are left intentionally vague. The novelesque frequently intrudes on Anselmo's world. Besides Don Quijote, fictional characters such as Faust and Roland appear in descriptions and dialogue. (p. 191) In addition, Anselmo's fiat is similar to those found in novels: «La habitación del doctor Anselmo parecía laboratorio de esos que hemos visto en más de una novela...» (p. 190). By using the first person plural, the author enlists the reader's participation in imagining the type of setting which he so painstakingly describes. This act establishes a certain comradeship between the author and the reader and makes the reader a part of the creative process.

The sincerity of the author-audience relationship rests with the narrator, who does not always treat the reader with equal esteem. As all of Anselmo's narration is filtered through his pen, the question of his reliability is crucial. The narrator deliberately misleads the reader to share his ridicule of Anselmo and to believe in the possibility of supernatural interference. The careful reader recognizes the narrator's duplicity and considers his confidences warily.

The character of Anselmo, also, is two-sided. Considered a madman by almost all who know him, he speaks wisely while warning the narrator, «No busque aquí la regularidad; si esto fuera como lo que pasa ordinariamente, no lo contaría» (p. 211). It is ironic that a madman should be so aware of the nature of his narrative and of the fact that he is telling a story. He specifically selects the verb contar to describe his mode of presentation. Perhaps this warning is addressed to the reader also, for although this short novel contains familiar literary references, it is different from the works to which it alludes. For example, to Anselmo Paris is the incarnation of all mythical villains. Anselmo vividly recalls one encounter with Paris during which the latter reels off the names of satanic personages and exclaims, «Esa es mi literatura» (p. 207-208). Yet, Paris is not really a character; he is an idea, an obsession belonging only to Anselmo. Paris is, moreover, the fiction of fiction, for he is created by Galdós' creation.⁸⁹

In La sombra one finds not only allusions to specific works, but also references to entire genres. Very often these general references serve as ironic vehicles for Galdós. The Gothic novel, romanticism, costumbrismo, and fantastic literature are the butts of much of Galdós' humor. To whit, Anselmo's laboratory is an exaggerated parody of a typical Gothic alchemy lab. Both alchemist and Anselmo work toward an impossible goal. Anselmo's experiments have no immediate purpose; his work keeps him busy and distracts him from his thoughts. Romanticism is mocked by Galdós' incorporation of Renaissance paintings as well as by the medieval motif of the alchemist. The romantics often chose such props for their works. Furthermore, Galdós satirizes costumbrismo with his portrait of a decaying Spanish society. Caught in the midst of the Carlist conflict and the advent of industrialism, this caricature   —37→   of Anselmo seems all the more ludicrous. By dubbing him a Doctor (he never earned the degree; his acquaintances jestingly bestow it upon him), Galdós heightens the irony of this pseudo-scientist competing in a world of everexpanding scientific horizons. Finally, Galdós seems to create a fantastic story, only to destroy it with scientific data.

The author's attitude toward the fantastic is evidenced early in the novel. Perched in Anselmo's laboratory is a cat, an animal often found in the short stories of Poe and Hoffman, as well as in many works by Galdós. This cat, however, is emaciated; he seems like a caricature of a cat. And, whereas the typical black cat is ominous, this feline portends nothing but his own fate. In what is to some an excruciatingly funny episode, Galdós graphically describes the cat's fiery demise. Interrupting and upstaging Anselmo's narrative, the absolute horror of his death is stripped of its expected emotional impact by Galdós' irreverent description. Sitting too close to the Doctor's worthless experiment, the cat is ignited:

By making the cat a victim, and by describing his death with consummate energy and exaggeration, Galdós transforms a normally repulsive event into an ironic parody. The reintroduction of the Christ figure reinforces an already-established irony. Another indication of the author's probable intent is his use of the adverbial «por último», which would normally signal the end of a succession of things or events. Here, this phrase is followed by a list of adjectives and verbs which almost parallels in length what preceeds it. With a new perspective on familiar images, Galdós creates an ironic illusion. Yet, this illusion harbors no malice towards the reader. Galdós manipulates not only his audience and his characters, but himself as well.

Throughout this narrative, this work perceives itself as being worthy of repetition. Both the narrator and the protagonist insist on the inherent interest of the story.⁹⁰ However, this pretense is erased in the final paragraph:

Democratically, as the narrator falls victim to Galdós' ultimate ironic illusion, so does Galdós. To imply that the narrator and the reader have no interest in this matter is to insinuate that perhaps the author has been wasting his time.

Although many readers criticize La sombra for such shortcomings as repetition,⁹¹ this brief narrative is an ambitious effort which is far more complex   —38→   than it first appears to be. The multiplicity of illusions and the duplicity of the author create a masterful exercise in irony. For another reason, also, La sombra is important; this short novel anticipates future literary developments such as modernism and the work of the Generation of 1898. The Spanish modernistas frequently incorporate scientific theories and terms into their works. And both the modernistas and Galdós make the most of sensual stimuli, although the former carry their imagery much further. Similar to the members of the Generation of 1898, Galdós evokes the Quijote, as if to seek solace and guidance for a weak and saddened nation.

Brandeis University