(DOWNLOAD) "San Manuel Bueno, Martir: Between the Hebrew and the Hellene (Estudios y Confluencias)" by Confluencia: Revista Hispanica de Cultura y Literatura ~ eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: San Manuel Bueno, Martir: Between the Hebrew and the Hellene (Estudios y Confluencias)
- Author : Confluencia: Revista Hispanica de Cultura y Literatura
- Release Date : January 22, 2009
- Genre: Social Science,Books,Nonfiction,Reference,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 100 KB
Description
The priest Don Manuel in Miguel de Unamuno's San Manuel Bueno, martir is a soul torn by contrasting impulses. He is unmistakably Christian in his actions, as the author reminds us in the last pages of the novel: the depth of the priest's religious belief is seen in his deeds (171). (1) But the text implies at the outset of the novel that Don Manuel is a believer in Christ in this life only, and, as such, is among "los mas miserables" (105). He dedicates his life to seeing that his parishioners achieve some earthly peace and takes care to ensure that they not become miserable like he clearly is. It is the origin of this metaphysical misery that we examine in this study; going beyond the well-known polar opposition of faith versus reason commonly seen as the source of the priest's existential agony. We grant that this polarity of belief and doubt exists in the life and beliefs of Don Manuel and recognize its discordant impact on his acceptance of essential tenets of Christianity. However, this reluctance to ascribe to certain doctrines has a historical precedent. If we review two of the belief systems in play at the dawn of Western civilization, we may appreciate better the doubt and agnosticism Don Manuel harbors and thus understand the beloved priest more fully. In doing so, we will see that the parish priest wrestles unknowingly with two great cultural traditions still at philosophical odds today--the Hebrew and the Hellene--that foster his "continual spiritual isolation" (Ilie 269). Comprehending these fundamentally divergent cultures will clear a path for interpreting some polysemic images and references in the text, particularly the scene where the priest and Blasillo die together; and in appreciating the depth of the martyrdom of Don Manuel. We should not be surprised to learn that Unamuno has woven two formative cultural traditions in his novel, given his interest in questions of faith and religions. Nelson Orringer shows that Protestant creeds as well as Catholicism had a significant impact on Unamuno's philosophies and poetics. What receives less attention is what Paul Ilie terms the "Hebraistic" influence in the works of the famed Salamancan (266). Therefore, our investigation commences with Ilie's general observations about the importance of Judaism in the Unamunian oeuvre and then investigates the characteristics of the Yahwist-Prophetic tradition of the Hebrews to see how this specific latter impulse (2) manifests itself in San Manuel Bueno, martir. What Ilie first mentions asa general source of ideas, Judaism, will be seen to be the culture from which the specific Yahwist cult emerged. By comparing the traditions of the Yahwists with Don Manuel's actions and thoughts, we can perceive a man caught between two worlds. Although trained asa classic Christian father, his moral impulse, his intellect, and some of his actions hearken back to a much older tradition: the culture of Jehovah.
 "San Manuel Bueno, Martir: Between the Hebrew and the Hellene (Estudios y Confluencias)" by Confluencia: Revista Hispanica de Cultura y Literatura ~ eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free){kind=link}