The other major find yesterday was a “new” used copy of La Regenta, retiring the pictured copy being held together by rubber bands. While I have many fond memories of piecing together the old copy (literally) while reading it, I’m hoping this one survives re-readings. Which I hope to do soon. First, though, I’ll need […]

Even with several long posts on La Regenta I’ve barely scratched the surface of this wonderful novel, but I want to wrap things up so I can get to other books. Here are the posts to date on the book: Introduction: summary, introduction, technique, illustrations, references Excerpts: extended quotes on Ana’s boredom, attending Don Juan […]

The progressives would present objections, upholding the solidarity of the dogma and the priest, and then Don Pompeyo would have to take sides with the reactionaries, up to a certain point, and say, ‘Let us not confuse one thing with another, gentlemen, the very roots are diseased. The clergy is neither good nor evil, it […]

A post for some extended quotes from La Regenta. The first excerpt looks at Ana’s situation (note the passage is in quotes—see my introduction for Alas’ use of a character’s voice). While preparing for general confession, Ana Ozores reflects on her life. In a novel full of frustration, Alas creates remarkable inner worlds. Ana is […]

The Madonna of the Chair by Raphael Ana’s resemblance to this depiction of Mary is noted several times Picture source Befitting the work of a literary critic, La Regenta contains many references and allusions to artistic works, quotes, and characters. In the dissertation I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Albert Brent adds an appendix listing each […]

Statue of Ana Ozores, (La Regenta) Located in the plaza of the Cathedral of San Salvador, Oviedo, Spain Picture source This post will be a scattershot introduction to La Regenta, one of the best 19th-century novels I’ve read. Since its release, La Regenta has had its share of misrepresentation. Alas was initially accused of plagiarizing […]