López, Ignacio Javier. “La novela ideológica (1875-1880). La literatura de ideas en la España de la Restauración”. Madrid: Ediciones de la Torre, Biblioteca de Nuestro Mundo/Logos, 2014, 302 pp.

Abstract

This is a review of a book by Ignacio Javier López that deals with the ideologies of the 19th century in Spain expressed in novels. It focuses on the period of the Restoration and begins by commenting on the concept of ideological novel to, later, frame it in the aforementioned historical context. Derived from the different events of the time and thanks to the arduous study of López, the book explains the circumstances in which and the reasons why this type of novel arises. It is mentioned that novels of this type were written on both sides, both the liberal and the conservative. Some examples are El escándalo, Gloria, Doña Perfecta. It not only focuses on history, but also on literary and philological aspects, such as the fact that with Realism the novels dealt with contemporary themes. In some chapters, López talks about the krausism and pessimism of some writers, focusing on specific works to provide examples. This review highlights the work of Ignacio Javier López for not stagnating this genre in its context, since he does the opposite and perfectly analyzes all the factors of this theme.