Book Overview
A rich and unforgettable tragic-comic novel of sexual intrigue and political scheming, The House of Ulloa is one of the greatest works of nineteenth-century Spanish literature.
The House of Ulloa follows pure and pious Father Juli n Alvarez, who is sent to a remote country estate to put the affairs of the marquis, an irresponsible libertine, in order. When he discovers moral decadence, cruelty and corruption at his new home, Juli n's well-meaning but ineffectual attempts to prevent the fall of the House of Ulloa end in tragedy. Combining gothic elements with humour and social satire, The House of Ulloa is the finest achievement of Emilia Pardo Baz n, a prolific writer, feminist, traveller and intellectual, and one of the most dynamic figures of her time. Brilliantly balancing biting satire and gothic undertones, and evoking a rich sense of place, this is a wonderful novel that deserves to be ranked with the other great books of the period. The Countess Emilia Pardo Baz n was born in 1851 and married at sixteen. After separating from her husband, she embarked on an affair with novelist Benito P rez Gald s. The House of Ulloa (1886) is generally considered as her masterpiece among her many literary works. Professor Paul O'Prey is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Roehampton, London. Lucia Graves has translated works by Robert Graves, Ana s Nin, Katherine Mansfield and Carlos Ruiz Zaf n, and is the author of a memoir, A Woman Unknown, and a novel, The Memory House. 'An absolutely first-rate novelist ...] Baz n's genius lies in the way she mixes comedy, farce, realism and heightened-pitch hysteria with a dash of gothic ...] People may travel by donkey in this book, but it could have been written yesterday' - Nick Lezard, Guardian 'Pardo Baz n's mastery of social types and of the political currents that swirled around the liberal revolution are unsurpassed in Spanish literature ... O'Prey and Graves ... avoid awkward literalisms while nonetheless remaining true to the spirit of the original' New CriterionFormat:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0141392959
ISBN13:9780141392950
Release Date:November 2013
Publisher:Penguin Books
Length:270 Pages
Weight:0.50 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.0" x 7.7"
Age Range:18 years and up
Grade Range:Postsecondary and higher
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
Great novel for its time....
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
I am a non-traditional student who has to read over 100 books for the comprehensive exams in the spanish literature area of study. This was an easy and entertaining novel to read. Having a woman author, gives the reader a better understanding of the period in which the book was written. Women in the XIX century were not at an advantage and this book illustrates this in a very profound way. The characters are controversial and typical of the times. It gives us a great insight into the provincial life in any given city of Spain while demonstrating traits of a naturalistic period very different from same genre by french authors like Zola or Flaubert. I would highly recommend Emilia Pardo Bazan's novels.
Spain turn of the XIX century
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
A young and inexperienced priest arrives to an old and aristocratic house which is in clear falling in pieces. He strongly feels that the state of the house is the consequence of the moral decay of its owner who is a good for nothing, solely interested in hunting activities and who had a bastard son with the maid of the house.The priest believes that the sacrament of matrimony, will render the fruits upon Señor de Ulloa soul and sets hmself the goal of finding him a bride suitable for such high designations. The Marquis due to quite distorted reasoning ends up choosing a cousin who is not very attractive and a little weak istead of the one he was really attracted to.The aims of the priest clash head to head wih the long term plans of Primitivo a sort of family housekeeper with a self appointed position who have been stealing the proceeds of the hacienda's and is waiting for the proper moment to take full control of the Marquis de Ulloa's land properties. At that moment will become due when Spain is shaken by liberal movements and the novelty of the democratic process. The role of women on this novel shall not go unnoticed, since both the maid and the aristocratic lady of the house are also a reflection of the era which is gaining momentum Spain and it is reflected on the health of both ladies and in which the Spaniars were simultaneously spectators and protagonists as well as in the sexual preferences of the Marquis de Ulloa.
A wonderful classic of 19th century Spanish prose.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Emilia Pardo Bazán stands as perhaps the Spanish speaking world's greatest woman novelist. Along with Galdos and Clarín she was one of the three most important writers of late 19th century Spain. An intellectual of astounding breadth, she was the leading exponent of the Naturalist literary school in her country, -- as attested by her numerous theoretical wrtitings on the subject -- and was an outspoken feminist. She also wrote the first review of Darwin's _Origin of the Species_ to appear in print in Spain._The House of Ulloa_ is the work of fiction for which she is best known, and is also the work which perhaps best illustrates Pardo Bazán's own peculiar and unorthodox conception of Naturalism. A primitive and violent rural countryside provides the setting for the novel. When Julian, a cultured and somewhat effeminate priest arrives at the house of the Marquis of Ulloa, he discovers a brutish place which is physically falling prey to creeping nature. Weeds and plants have encroached on the property and whole sections of the once magnificent manor have fallen into disrepair. Julian attempts to "save" the Marquis by marrying him to a city dwelling cousin. The plan, however, does not sit well with Primitivo, the Marquis' ruthless and violent butler. Primitivo excercises a defacto control over the Marquis' property and finances, and is alarmed by the intrusion of the new inhabitants. His opposition is heightened by the fact that the Marquis has borne an illegitimate child of Primitivo's daughter and the new arrivals threaten his grandson's eventiual claims to inheritance. Thus the stage is set for a powerful and cruel denouement.
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