The History of Spain through Galdós’s National Episodes

Benito Pérez Galdós is one of the main authors in Spanish Contemporary Literature. He is also among the most prolific, his works exploring almost every literary genre, although his most acclaimed pieces were novels. His first works were two historical novels that would mark the trend that would persist through his entire career. After these, he would publish a long collection of historical novels, dating from 1873 to 1912. He gave them a rather generic title, “los Episodios Nacionales” (The National Episodes). With 46 books distributed in five series, the “Episodes” intended to cover Spanish contemporary history from 1805 to 1880. For Galdós, historic fiction was an alternative tool to explain history, more entertaining and easier to understand. It was also the ideal vehicle to highlight aspects of daily life that were overlooked in official chronicles. His novels highlight daily life in those times, which is an essential part of understanding history. Through his work, we can follow the political and social developments in Spain’s 19th and early 20th century very accurately. That is why Galdós is much more than the great Spanish novelist of his generation, he is also the best chronicler we have of those years. Despite the fact that each Series contains its own characteristics, and although the quality of each of the books is somewhat uneven, the Episodes cover a wide gallery of characters that are varied and sufficiently representative of the Spain of those years to be credible and acceptable to all audiences. As the work progressed, the author also diversified techniques and style, introducing some novelties and distancing them from his earlier reflections. Nevertheless, what the writer conveys is basically fiction, although almost all Series contain a considerable amount of historical data.