Mujeres en la España del siglo XIX. Una mirada jurídica a través de la literatura: La Regenta

The 19th century was a decisive period in the history of women's rights. The Enlightenment ideal proclaimed the universality of the principle of equality, but at the same time argued that women were naturally inferior, subordinating them to men. This inconsistency led to the emergence of the first groups in defence of women's rights. These groups were endowed with sufficient theoretical content by the enlightened discourse itself to legitimise their demands. They travelled an arduous road that culminated in the petition for women's suffrage at the end of the century. Literature is a witness to all this, so that in this work, in search of new nuances, we approach the history of women from an innovative perspective and delve into the study of the situation of women through realist novels published in this century, specifically, based on what Alas "Clarín" tells us in La Regenta. The aim of my research is to broaden the horizon of knowledge in the field of gender studies, specifically with regard to the legal, social and political situation of women in the 19th century, when feminism began. The originality of my work lies in the use of literature as a research guide. I seek the reason for the actions of the protagonists in the philosophy and norms of social conduct of the period in which the plot is set, which coincides with the time of its publication. The research falls within the framework of gender studies that bring us closer, through the analysis of history and literature, to a greater understanding of current reality. Literature is often forgotten and reduced to fictitious issues without delving into the fertile testimony it provides on certain historical nuances that are often omitted by historians themselves. For this reason, analysing a transcendental period in women's history through literature is extraordinarily eloquent for the research progress of women's studies. Literature is a reflection of all the social and cultural events of an era. Novels are testimonies to specific moments in history, not only because of the content of the stories, but also because of the way in which the idiosyncrasies of the female and male characters are shaped. Because of the valuable testimony of the period that many works offer, I am prepared to approach the history of women's rights from an innovative perspective in my research, that is, from literature. Specifically, I focus on the history of women in Spain and analyse it through one of the most important novels in literature: La Regenta. The reason for this choice lies in the literary current to which the novel belongs, realism, and the time of its publication in 1885. On the one hand, realism is characterised by the fact that it presents the historical reality of the time without any embellishment, making it a faithful testimony of nineteenth-century Spain; and on the other hand, the date of publication corresponds to a key period in the history of women's rights. Through his innumerable stories and descriptions, as well as through his characters, Leopoldo Alas, better known as "Clarín", makes us aware of the ideological foundations on which the Spanish society of this century is based. But even more importantly, and with regard to the aim of this research, his novel allows us to study the situation of Spanish women in depth and provides us with a truly enriching perspective by allowing us to participate in the vision that the author, a man of the 19th century, has of his female counterparts; a vision embodied mainly in the main character, Ana Ozores. We will also carry out a brief comparative analysis with other Spanish and European novels that belong to the realist literary aesthetic or have autobiographical notes and feature a female protagonist. I begin my research by carrying out an exhaustive analysis of the historical, political, economic, social, religious and cultural context, mainly philosophical thought and literary creation in nineteenth-century Spain. I then compare this framework provided by historical writings with those recounted in the novel. In this case, we can observe, and the study shows in detail, a perfect adaptation of what Clarín narrated in his Regenta with what is found in contemporary history textbooks. Once the historical fit of the narrative has been verified, we conclude that the descriptions of the living conditions of the female characters, their aspirations, longings, worries and anxieties are also part of the historical setting of the time. This leads us to question the motives behind the female characters' behaviour. In order to discover them, we broaden the horizons of the analysis by looking for the reason for the protagonists' behaviour in the philosophy and social norms of the period in which the plot is set, which coincides with the time of their publication We find that the 19th century is one of the most turbulent in history. The French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution determine the future of subsequent years of Western nations. Milestones that revolutionised politics, the economy and society and had an impact on people's way of life. For this reason, the history of Spanish women cannot be understood without first studying what happened in Europe. The 19th century saw the materialisation of the break with everything that evoked the past of the Ancient Regime in order to make room for the new Enlightenment demands. The philosophy proclaimed by eighteenth-century thinkers and intellectuals was embodied in laws and institutions. The liberal state was gradually established throughout Europe. The separation of powers, the primacy of the law and popular sovereignty were the foundations of the new political regime. The principle of equality and freedom inspired this new order and the individual was granted a series of individual rights. However, the women of this century are excluded from all the rights and freedoms accorded to men. There is no break with the past, but rather a consolidation of prejudices regarding their abilities that condition their position and social function, through legislative and institutional support. They are kept out of the public sphere and locked away in the private sphere in the name of "female nature", a constructed concept with no scientific basis whatsoever. The relationship dynamics ordered by law obey a misogynist ideology that proclaims the inferior nature of women compared to men and, therefore, establishes a hierarchical treatment in which women are the subjects submitted. Enlightenment thought is the driving force behind all these transformations, but it is also responsible for the codification of a system that is profoundly discriminatory towards women. Thus, in this research we pay attention to the proclamations of the main eighteenth-century philosophers, but also to the theses that emerge as a response to all their proclamations. Refutations that pave the way for the formation of a feminist movement. A grouping that focuses its objectives on questions that reveal the deplorable situation in which the revolution has relegated women. This is a historic period of cardinal importance for the history of women, for in this century a movement in defence of their rights with a transnational character is consolidated for the first time. In each State, women's associations appeared which, far from remaining indifferent to their institutional neglect, began a struggle to achieve the same legal status as their male counterparts, simply because the bases that sustain the existence of rights inherent to the individual have a universal virtuality, that is to say, they operate for all members of the human species. It is worth noting that in this analysis we have noted the prominence of French, English and North American theorists. However, the prominent presence of personalities from these nations does not mean that there are no intellectuals, thinkers and jurists from other nations who, in the same way, are aware of the presence of prejudices regarding women's capacities and who confront them, theoretically or in practice. I therefore intend to provide a more complete European context, focusing in particular on figures from southern Europe, specifically Italians and Spaniards, whose essays are very relevant to the nineteenth-century European debate on women's issues. Once the European panorama is known, I carry out the same task but on a national level, that is, I investigate the preponderant Spanish customs and beliefs that interfere in the formation of character and in the condition of female life, as well as I rescue those voices that rose up in favour of equal rights. Lastly, I then delve into the scrutiny of the protagonist of the novel and, based on the preceding context, I search for her reason for proceeding. I also develop the most relevant aspects of the novel in relation to the situation of women, in this case, the aspiration for beauty, marriages of convenience, hysteria, the penal consequences of female adultery and education, while at the same time comparing the position of the protagonist in the other European novels selected in relation to these same phenomena. Thus, we obtain an innovative perspective on nineteenth-century feminine sentiments; a fertile testimony that broadens and enriches studies on women.