La Figura Del Narrador En Insolación: Apertura E Incertidumbre

Abstract

Considering previous points of view on the relation between the narrator and his world in Pardo Bazans Insolación, the scope of the paper is to show how by means of irony the principal voice of the novel transcends simple ways of being critical toward an ideological system and instead of defending feminist or antifeminist positions, proposes an open field of considerations in relation to some ethic principles included in the discussions upon freedom, love, and social conventions during the late XIXth century. The rhetorical device of irony in the novel is used by the narrator against almost all the protagonists and it is revealed by the contradictions between their words and acts, demonstrated by his comments. However, the ironic approach is not restricted to Asís Taboada or Gabriel Pardo; a self- irony brings the narrator to a position where defending or attacking some moral beliefs supposes a commitment he is unlikely to have. To demonstrate the above, in the first place, I bring into consideration some critical thoughts about the role of the narrator in Spanish Realism. Then, I refer to some of the most representative critical opinions regarding the character of the narrator of Insolación, and finally I intend to show how irony serves to reveal a constant movement between moral thesis and antithesis in Pardo Bazans book.