Gaspar Núñez de Arce, the poet of doubt: poems and speeches on religious themes

Abstract

Gaspar Nuñez de Arce (1834-1903) one of the most famous poets of the mid nineteenth century has often been associated by his contemporaries to religious doubt (one of his well known writings, Gritos del combate, is precisely titled «The doubt»). His approach to religious themes also infuses other writings like La visión de Fray Martín dedicated to Martin Luther and where he expresses some religious questions this reformer raises. Regardless of the fact he was tormented and at odds with religion, like other autors of his time, he was also deeply affected by the ideological confrontation between freedom of conscience, fanatism and intolerance which splintered the history and the culture of the Spanish society of Restoration. His poetry materializes many of his religious doubts. He participated significantly in the public debate of his time and also contributed in 1868 to the preparation of the «Manifesto of the Nation» which intended to drastically restrict the monopoly of catholicism.

This essay focuses on the writings and thought of Nuñez de Arce, his presence in crucial public debates which involved other intellectuals of his time and his role during the «Controversy of Spanish Science» at the beginning of the Bourbon Restoration.