Benito Perez Galdos and the Creative Process was first published in 1954. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions.
Most critics would rank Benito Perez Galdos second only to Cervantes among the great novelists of Spain. However, in spite of the esteem in which he is generally held, Galdos has been the subject of relatively few scholarly studies. Professor Pattison, by an analysis of two of Galdos' novels, attempts to reconstruct the creative processes that were involved in the writing of these novels. This is the first time that such a critical approach has been used in the field of Spanish fiction and the resulting study is significant not only to Spanish scholars but to all students of literature seeking further insights into the fascinating and still elusive creative process.
Professor Pattison analyzes the novels Gloria, published in 1877, and Marianela,which was published the following year. Both are stories of contemporary life, the former having as its theme the conflict between noble religion and the fanaticism of individual religious sects, and the latter presenting a story of tragic love interwoven with the social problem of the responsibilities of the rich toward the poor.
In tracking down the sources of ideas, characters, plots, and viewpoints that emerge in these novels, Professor Pattison worked first-hand in Galdos' personal library in Madrid. From the notes and markings in the books and from other intimate observations, the scholar-detective put his finger on many of the original sources that contributed to Galdos' artistic creations and identified the prototypes for fictional characters among persons Galdos knew.
Great music arouses wonder: how did the composer create such an original work of art? What was the artist's inspiration, and how did that idea become a reality? Cultural products inevitably arise from a context, a submerged landscape that is often not easily accessible. To bring such things to light, studies of the creative process find their cutting edge by probing beyond the surface, opening new perspectives on the apparently familiar.
Writing was the central passion of Emerson’s life. While his thoughts on the craft are well developed in “The Poet,” “The American Scholar,” Nature, “Goethe,” and “Persian Poetry,” less well known are the many pages in his private journals devoted to the relationship between writing and reading. Here, for the first time, is the Concord Sage’s energetic, exuberant, and unconventional advice on the idea of writing, focused and distilled by the preeminent Emerson biographer at work today.
Emerson advised that “the way to write is to throw your body at the mark when your arrows are spent.” First We Read, Then We Write contains numerous such surprises—from “every word we speak is million-faced” to “talent alone cannot make a writer”—but it is no mere collection of aphorisms and exhortations. Instead, in Robert Richardson’s hands, the biographical and historical context in which Emerson worked becomes clear.
Emerson’s advice grew from his personal experience; in practically every moment of his adult life he was either preparing to write, trying to write, or writing. Richardson shows us an Emerson who is no granite bust but instead is a fully fleshed, creative person disarmingly willing to confront his own failures. Emerson urges his readers to try anything—strategies, tricks, makeshifts—speaking not only of the nuts and bolts of writing but also of the grain and sinew of his determination. Whether a writer by trade or a novice, every reader will find something to treasure in this volume. Fearlessly wrestling with “the birthing stage of art,” Emerson’s counsel on being a reader and writer will be read and reread for years to come.
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