Ritualization and Visibility of Poverty in Iberian Literatures

Professor Eloi Grasset, UC Santa Barbara

This talk will focus on the ritualization of poverty in Catalan and Spanish literatures at the end of the XIXth century and the emergence of begging and other forms of charity as a new literary “motif”. Following Rancière, we could say that one of the main tasks of literature is to have an impact on the distribution and redistribution of the sensible. With this in mind, I will examine Benito Pérez Galdós’ Misericordia (1897) and Jacint Verdaguer’s Caritat (1885) to show how the appearance of this literary topic corresponds to the stabilization of a new social reality.

At the same time, I will also analyze how these literatures could be taken both as a symptom and as a writing attempt to destabilize and degrade literary language to better approach indigence as a modern experience. I will argue that figuration of poverty, rather than being a minor subject, is a topic of considerable importance in the literary production at the end of the XIXth century.

This event is sponsored by The Europe Center and the Division of Literatures, Cultures and Languages Writing and Money Research Unit. For any questions, please contact the graduate student coordinators: gbadica [at] stanford.edu (gbadica[at]stanford[dot]edu) and lauramen [at] stanford.edu (lauramen[at]stanford[dot]edu) and Faculty Coordinator Prof. Joan Ramon Resina (jrresina [at] stanford.edu (jrresina[at]stanford[dot]edu)). Lunch will be provided.