UC Santa Barbara

This dissertation examines representations of Protestants in Spanish novels published between 1850-1890, analyzing ways literary texts construct the religious "other". By examining novels of four important 19th century Spanish authors—Fernán Caballero (El exvoto and Lady Virginia), José María Blanco y Crespo (Luisa Bustamante, o La huérfana española en Inglaterra), Benito Pérez Galdós (Rosalía, Fortunata y Jacinta, and Torquemada en la hoguera) and Emilia Pardo Bazán (La Tribuna and La prueba)—who represent distinct literary movements and ideological commitments, the study highlights ways in which the representations of Protestants advances the authors' convictions, distorts the historical presence of Protestants during the time period, and/or affirms—explicitly or implicitly, intentionally or inadvertently—notions that exclude this religious minority from full membership in society or portray Protestantism as incompatible with Spanish national identity.

During the time period studied, religious liberty and Catholicism's role as a unifying force in Spanish society and an essential element of Spanish identity are fervently contested topics. The historical vicissitudes of the period—an unsuccessful attempt to introduce religious freedom during the Bienio Liberal (1854-56), the Revolution of 1868 and introduction of religious freedom in the Constitution of 1869, the evanescent First Spanish Republic, the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy and limiting of religious freedoms in the Constitution of 1876—frame the presence of competing ideologies. In this context, Protestant missionaries and colporteurs actively proselytize in Spain, a generation of Spanish Protestant leaders emerges, and the first congregations are established.

In chapters dedicated to each author, the study investigates the representation of the Protestant "other", utilizing categories developed by Tzvetan Todorov to describe the encounter with the religious subaltern in the New World. While examining the function of Protestants in the texts, the study also compares and contrasts the literary figures with historical representatives of the period. The dissertation reveals that similar responses toward the Protestant "other" emerge in authors of different ideological persuasions and literary commitments. Whether informed by costumbrismo, romanticism, realism or naturalism, the novels inevitably advance the authors' ideological commitments, misrepresent the religious other, and/or dismiss Protestantism as a legitimate religious alternative.