Modern Language Studies

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The Thematic and Artistic Unity of Baroja's El irbol de la ciencia

Kenneth G. Eller

In his auto-critical essays, Baroja would have us believe that he was not interested in writing novels with a tightly-knit story. A novel, in his opinion, was by definition a "saco donde cabe todo," and it did not matter if a narrative had a beginning or ending, a structure, or even a definite plan.' Noting the disjointed presentation, the loose structure, and the many disparate elements, most scholars writing before 1970 criticized Baroja's novels, finding them lacking in unity and basically defective.2 El drbol de la ciencia, the novel Baroja called his best and most complete,3 was singled out many times as a work without unity. Cesar Barja, for example, said: "Hay... mucho material que poca o ninguna relaci6n tiene, en un sentido de unidad estricta, con [el] drama principal, ya que poco o nada influye en el, ni en su preparaci6n, ni en su desarrollo, ni en el desenlace."4 Other critics went so far as to say that the title of the novel had little or nothing to do with the novel's story.5

Critics of the seventies and eighties, having made in-depth studies of Baroja's novels as a form of art, now disagree with these earlier views and are finding the various facets of Baroja's works to be interrelated.6 Individual novels are seen as a unified whole. With respect to El drbol de la ciencia, E. Inman Fox asserts that "form and content tend to be fused" and goes on to illustrate that the novel's framework "is nothing more, nothing less, than an outworking of Schopenhauer's principal work, The World as Will and Idea.7 Mary Lee Bretz views the novel as a summary or history of Baroja's life, ideas, and times and refers repeatedly to the work's "uniformidad estilistica."8 In his extensive summary and analysis of the novel's plot and structure, L.I. Martinez de Narvajas discovers a perfectly symmetrical development, claiming the "sensaci6n de dinamismo y con- tinuidad es inigualable."9 Sergio Beser declares that virtually all the major aspects of the novel are tied together: ". .. se produce una total integraci6n entre el estilo-la expresi6n-y el relato-contenido-, y tambien entre el estilo y su concepto de novela e incluso con la misma concepci6n del mundo."10 This point of view has considerable merit and I will attempt to defend it by demonstrating that the various components of the novel are directly related to the novel's central theme, which is in turn tied to the novel's title and to its storyline.

It is essential to specifically identify, clarify, and interpret the theme before discussing the factors which lend unity to the work. The central theme as well as the title are explained midway through the novel during a series of lengthy conversations the main character, Andres Hur- tado, has with his uncle, Dr. Iturrioz. Parodying the Biblical account of the garden of Eden and the downfall of Adam, Iturrioz claims that there were two trees and that if man ate the fruit of either one, he would suffer dire consequences. The fruit of "el arbol de la vida" would make man a

23

natural, instinctive being, totally egotistical, devious, unjust, cruel, hypo- critical and immoral. On the other hand, eating the fruit of "el arbol de la ciencia" would make man an intellectual who would try to improve his existence by basing his ethical and moral values on scientific facts. He could then develop a concept of personal liberty, justice, and truth which would be absolute and perfect. But, because intellectualism is sterile, intellectuals would eventually destroy themselves. As one re-considers the plot of the novel, it becomes evident that practically all of Andres's experiences as a medical student and as a general practitioner have illustrated that people act as if they had eaten the fruit of "el arbol de la vida." Andres, disgusted with people in general, avoids social contacts and attempts to live in an artificial, serene, hygienic atmosphere, acting as if he had eaten the fruit of "el arbol de la ciencia." But when his wife dies after having a stillborn child, Andres commits suicide with an overdose of a man-made drug. As Iturrioz predicted, intellectualism leads to one's self-destruction. Andres's intellect makes him overly sensitive to the weak- nesses and defects of others and he becomes excessively negative, cynical and withdrawn.11 His bitter anti-social philosophy and constant self- analysis prevent him from getting adequate physical exercise which brings about severely uncomfortable attacks of arthritis. Furthermore, the reliance on medicine and drugs, items created by intellectuals, sup- posedly to better the human condition, contribute to the self-destruction of Andres and Lului as well. The plot line is constructed on the nihilistic philosophical underpinnings which continuously echo the basic theme that life is a futile, frustrating experience. Man in his natural state is a scoundrel and nothing can be done to improve him through intellectual efforts.'2

This underlying philosophy unifies the novel and is illustrated everywhere through the chronological presentation of the experiences of Andres Hurtado. In a general, technical sense, the story is not as loosely structured as some of Baroja's other works.l3 All the events, episodes, secondary characters and philosophical discussions are organized and centered around the main character.14 Instead of portraying the entire life of his main character, as he does in many of his other novels, Baroja narrows the biographical focus to Andres's medical studies and profes- sional career. Another aspect of the work which strengthens the impres- sion of unity is the fact that the story has a definite ending, a "fin cerrado," as opposed to a "fin abierto," a term applied to those of Baroja's novels which have no conclusive ending, such as La busca and Mala hierba.

Despite Baroja's claims that he usually wrote his novels without a definite plan, El arbol de la ciencia has a considerable formal structure. The work is divided into seven parts with each part containing numerous chapters, fifty-three altogether. Both parts and chapters have individual titles. Each chapter seldom has unity by itself. Thus the reader may feel that the novel contains too many digressions and unrelated elements with little focus on a story or development of a main theme. Subsequent readings of the novel, however, reveal that the story really has only three essential parts.'5 The long, philosophical discussions in the middle of the

24

novel (Part IV) represent the main structural beam of the work. They recapitulate and interpret what has happened in the first half (part) of the work and prepare the reader in a philosophical sense for what is going to happen in the second half (part).'6 The first three sections (Parts I, II, III) (or the first half of the novel) correspond with the last three (Parts V, VI, VII) (or the last half of the novel) in approximate length and content. Part I and Part V deal with Andres's medical career. His life as a medical student in Part I is balanced thematically with Part V which treats his experiences as a general practitioner in a small town. Part II is similar to Part VI in the sense that the focus is mostly on the main character's experiences of a social, non-professional nature. Parts II and VII empha- size Andres's personal, family tragedies. In Part II he loses his younger brother, Luisito, for whom he cares deeply and, of course, in Part VII, he loses Lulu. The examination of the ordering and relationship of the various parts of the novel's sub-structure discloses a symmetrical framework, although it is not known if Baroja intended such a balanced construction. Viewed externally and in an over-all sense, all the levels of development form an integral part of the whole and are locked together, although very loosely.7

The structure may seem to have been weakened considerably by the inclusion of a very large number of secondary characters. Over thirty-five appear briefly and, with a few exceptions, are not seen again. When a character appears, Baroja usually characterizes him very rapidly, giving a physical portrait and a personal opinion of him. The author also describes the environment where the character lives, and may include an anecdote or two about the character. This technique produces a rather chaotic picture of society and makes it seem like the trivial is being narrated along with the essential. Whole sections of the work may not appear to be connected with the central thread of the story. But through the presentation of many secondary characters, Baroja draws a reduced, dim picture of humanity and creates an environmental background into which he places his main character. Almost all of the minor characters are depicted as having some shortcoming, no matter what their social position is. Among Andres's professors, one knows nothing about the subject he is teaching, and another creates a philosophy for living which, upon investi- gation by Andres, is merely a semantic game. Andres's classmates lack seriousness and make a sham out of their studies and experiences in medical school. Many of the other characters from the lower classes of society survive by taking advantage of others. One prostitutes his own wife; another is a loan shark; and another is a procuress and abortionist. Others are portrayed as beggars, drunkards, and liars. Those that are not completely detestable are warped or perverted in some way. There is Antonio Lamela, the pathetic romantic, who feels he is deeply in love with an incredibly old maid who despises him.'8 His strange and eccentric behavior is only surpassed by Brother Juan, the hospital aide, who prefers to help those with the most highly contagious diseases and enjoys eating their left-overs. These minor characters illustrate part of the central theme of the work, i.e., humanity is essentially flawed. Virtually all of the

25

characters act as if they had eaten the fruit of "el arbol de la vida." They function as a device which assists in the development of the main charac- ter's personality and philosophy, helping to justify and explain why he has such a critical, cynical attitude.'9 The presentation in rapid succession of one character after another creates an unordered, spontaneous impression of existence and gives the story a rambling quality.20 But this technique corresponds with the central subject matter, reflecting the lack of direc- tion and purpose in the life of the protagonist.21 The technique creates for the reader an esthetic sensation similar to that which the main character experiences.

Although the story seems to take a meandering course, the reader is not at all surprised and rather suspects or anticipates what is going to occur eventually in the novel. This is in large part true because the author makes extensive use of foreshadowing which strengthens the organization of the story line. Foreshadowing occurs most often in the treatment of Lulu. A series of circumstances hint that Lulu and Andres will eventually join in marriage. Both are cynics who feel they are social misfits. Lulu even talks like Andres, expressing herself in a highly critical, sarcastic manner. Both are immediately attracted to each other and enjoy each other's company. Their marriage is further implied when Andres in a conversation with Lulu states that a person selects as his mate one who is either the same or the exact opposite of himself. He also philosophizes that love is a fantasy which cannot endure and that people get married under the guise of love and romance, but the real reason they marry, albeit a subconscious one, is to have children. His philosophy is borne out when he later marries Lulu, his feminine counterpart, and discovers that she has an irresistible urge to have a child.

When Lului first appears amidst a veritable parade of other charac- ters in Part II, it is immediately evident that she is physically abnormal. Her monkey-like face with an unhealthy, pale color and her eyes with dark circles under them form a grotesque caricature. Her behavior is also unnatural. Indifferent towards and somewhat repelled by love and sex, she admits she wants to die and feels she will never be able to find happiness. She prophetically states, before she has any idea that she will become Andres's wife, that she will never be able to bear children. When she reappears later in the novel in Part VII we are told that she is a "cerebral" woman without physical sensuality for whom everything has an intellectual explanation.22 Her fate is then predicted indirectly by Dr. Iturrioz when he claims that intellectualism is sterile. The tragedy of Lulu and Andres is more directly foretold in a later conversation with Iturrioz. Andres, claiming he is referring to another couple, but actually thinking of himself and Lulu, asks if a physically and emotionally weak couple should get married. Iturrioz recommends they marry, but not have children because they would probably not survive. Subsequently, as soon as Lulu wants to have a child, the marriage starts to disintegrate. Andres becomes tormented by ominous presentiments and both he and Lulu become sad and depressed. All of these events, which forecast the disaster at the novel's conclusion, serve to strengthen the plot and further endow the work with thematic unity.23

26

Foreshadowing can be found at the very beginning of the novel in the scene dealing with Andres's first class at medical school. The reader is led to believe that the experience in the classroom will be dramatic or theatrical when the author observes that the students, as they wait for class to start, are like theater patrons looking forward to a performance. The inside of the classroom moreover is likened to the balcony or upper tier of a theater. The professor's sudden appearance produces a dramatic effect; he is applauded by the students and, like an actor in front of an audience, welcomes their applause without understanding their mocking intentions.

In this first scene certain cohesive, pervasive elements are estab- lished which are consonant with the novel's theme. From the outset, the satirical, skeptical tone makes itself felt. Andres's friend, Montaner, upon seeing the other students' eagerness to enter the classroom, sarcastically quips that they will soon be as enthusiastic to leave as they now are to enter. The everpresent criticism of the environment is encountered in the very first lines. The site of the chemistry class, not held at the School of Medicine, but rather in the School of Architecture is observed to be an example of the "anomalias clasicas de Espafia." The reader is also told from the beginning that Andres is an observer and not part of a group when the protagonist expresses his disdain for the other students whom he regards as provincial hicks in search of a good time. As the novel pro- gresses the recurrent emphasis on Andres's alienation and withdrawal will constitute one of the principal motifs of the work.

The point of view remains constant throughout El arbol de la ciencia and serves another unifying role in the telling of the story. There is no question that Andres Hurtado, Lulu, and Dr. Iturrioz have a very similar outlook and that they express basically the various ideas of the author.24 Baroja includes his personal views in the novel as early as Chapter 2, Part I, where he directly enters the novel and comments on the events of the first scene. He echoes the negative, pessimistic, fault-finding opinions of his main character.25

The style Baroja uses in El arbol de la ciencia also is in accord with the novel's negative perspective. Most of the dialogues are terse and direct, revealing a lack of respect for others and a rudeness which helps reiterate the ubiquitous cynical theme. Andres's, Iturrioz's, and Lulu's hostility towards others is intensified by their copious use of strong and derogatory words. Andres, in one instance, calls the mean doctor at the Hospital de San Juan de Dios a "vejete ridiculo," a "petulante idiota" and a "macaco cruel." Characterizations such as "completo majadero," "acredi- tado imbecil," "granuja," and "estupidas feas" abound. The frequent placement of adjectives before, rather than after the nouns they modify, stresses the individual's personal opinion. Many secondary characters are further debased and dehumanized when they are given nicknames ("El Chuleta," "Tia Negra," and "Manolo el Chafandin") and when they are compared to animals. A most sordid impression is produced when charac- ters are likened to parasitic insects and bacteria. Iturrioz compares the loan-shark "Tio Miserias" with infusoria that immobilize and suck the protoplasmatic substances from other microbes. Additionally, some of the minor characters are compared to wasps, spiders and bees which all

27

try to live off others in what is described as a "caceria horrible." The cold, intellectual, scientific quality of the novel is enhanced by references to numerous philosophers, such as Kant and Schopenhauer, and by the use of scientific and medical terms. Andres's knowledge of medicine comes to the fore in his diagnosis of his little brother's illness and his scientific background is illustrated in his discussions with Iturrioz. In one instance he vividly recalls his difficulty coping with the people of Alcolea by compar- ing himself to bacteria immersed in a broth of carbolic acid.26 These stylistic features make Andres and Iturrioz, with their medical back- ground, more realistic, believable characters.

Andres's point of view, his personality, and his philosophy is further developed through several descriptions of the landscape.27 The few descriptions of substance occur in the narration of Andres's experi- ences in Alcolea. The landscape of this area, described through the eyes of Andres, seems to be a projection of the characteristics of the town's inhabitants: "A un lado y a otro de las calles languidecian las cansadas lamparas de luz electrica." "Todo el pueblo, grande, desierto, silencioso, bafiado por la suave claridad de la luna, parecia un inmenso sepulcro." (p. 248) The comparison of the city to a cemetery and the use of the words "languidecian" and "cansada" form a reflection of the backward, non- thinking, morally passive people of Alcolea. The region is also described as very hot and arid with no trees and where the colors of grey and ash predominate. Such a drab environment contributes to Andres's general boredom and discontent.28 Some of the descriptions, such as the ones of the old wine cellar and of the wine makers, may appear to be superfluous, but they are structurally locked into the development of the novel's central theme. When Andres sees the wine-makers sweating and laboring, he recalls a talk with Iturrioz and comes to the conclusion that Iturrioz was right when he said that only the artificial (intellectual) is good. A machine should do the work, not men. These descriptions, emphasizing Andres's sensitive disposition, focus our attention on the basic thematic conflict of the novel which pits "el arbol de la vida" (instinct) against "el arbol de la ciencia" (intellect). 29

This study, I hope, has shown that the unity of El drbol de la ciencia derives from many factors, most of them interrelated. The work is consistent in its point of view, its manner of expression, and in its negative, limited vision of humanity and reality.30 The events that occur follow an existential theme which is reiterated throughout and which is revealed in the title itself. Rather than create a work where the plot would become the most important element, Baroja focused on one individual (really him- self), explained his reaction to his surroundings, and developed his per- sonal crisis. Baroja probably wanted his readers to be left with the feeling that the novel has had little plot development, that the narration has taken a rambling form, and that the outlook has been hopelessly depressing. By creating such an impression, Baroja gives his readers an esthetic expe- rience quite similar to that of his protagonist: the reader's reaction to the novel is like Andres's reaction to his experiences. The properties of this novel, which might make another novel defective, make El arbol de la

28

ciencia a major work of art-a work in which subject matter and tech- nique are in perfect harmony.

University of Nebraska at Omaha

NOTES

1. See the Obras completas, VII: La intuicion y el estilo (Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva, 1949), pp. 1025-1058. See also the Obras completas, I, the prologue to Los amorios tardios, p. 1313.

2. Cesar Barja claimed: "No [hay] la unidad ni la concentraci6n, sino la variedad, la multiplicidad y la dispersi6n; no la limitaci6n, sino la amplifica- ci6n; no la articulaci6n, sino la desarticulaci6n." See his book Libros y autores contempordneos (New York: Las Americas Publ. Co., 1964), pp. 338, 339. Federico de Onis agreed with Barja: ".. . es inuitil ir a buscar en las novelas de Baroja una construcci6n arm6nica, ordenada, cuidadosa, se- lecta ..." See his article "Pio Baroja" in Baroja en el banquillo (Tribunal extranjero) (Zaragoza: Libreria General, n.d.), p. 225. Ortega y Gasset also criticized Baroja's novels, objecting to the many disparate elements. Baro- ja's ensuing argument with Ortega about the novel as an art form is detailed in the Obras completas, VII, pp. 1038-1060. See also Eugenio de Nora, La novela espaiola contempordnea (Madrid: Gredos, 1958), I, p. 125.

Birute Ciplijauskaite thinks that earlier critics paid little attention to Baroja's works as artistic creations because of the author's repeated asser- tion that he was not writing literature. See her book Baroia, un estilo (Madrid: Insula, 1972), p. 12.

3. ". .. es, entre las novelas de caracter filos6fico, la mejor que yo he escrito." Obras completas, VII, p. 801.

4. Op. cit., pp. 338, 339. 5. According to M. Romera-Navarro, the title of the novel"... s6lo se refiere a

una discusi6n meramente epis6dica de la novela." Historia de la literatura espanola (Boston: D.C. Heath, 1949), p. 664. Likewise, Carlos Orlando Nallim states: "Es una novela ... donde la trama novelesca parece inexis- tente. No hay un plan, no se le ve; no hay un programa a cumplir; no hay ni siquiera los pasos precisos de un sistema." See his article "Pio Baroja: Un nuevo discurrir de la novela" in Cuadernos hispanoamericanos, 265-267 (1972), p. 79. See also note #17.

6. Perhaps the finest study on this subject has been made by Birute Ciplijaus- kaite. In her book, Baroja, un estilo, she explains how Baroja's personality and character shape the content and form of his works. Her comparisons of numerous novels that Baroja revised or amplified convincingly dispel the previous notion that the author was disinterested in technique. Her study, however, does not cover El drbol de la ciencia.

7. See his article "Baroja and Schopenhauer" in Revue de litterature comparee XXXVII (1963), p. 355. Fox's view is also widely held by most other recent critics on Baroja.

8. See her book La evoluci6n novelistica de Pio Baroja (Madrid: Jose Porrla Turanzas, 1979), pp. 376, 391.

9. See his book El drbol de la ciencia (Pamplona: Laser, 1981), p. 54. See also Magdalena Cueto Perez's book Aspectos sistemdticos en la narrativa de Pio Baroia: El drbol de la ciencia (Gij6n: APEL, 1985), pp. 49, 51, 147, 173.

29

10. See his book El drbol de la ciencia de Pio Baroja (Barcelona: Laia, 1983), p. 38.

11. The philosophy and psychology of Andres Hurtado have been analyzed in detail by many critics. One of the most penetrating studies has been made by Jose Ortega in his article "Un estudio en alienaci6n" in Cuadernos hispanoamericanos, 265-267 (1972), pp. 591-599.

12. Fox has shown that the following concepts expressed in El drbol de la ciencia come from Schopenhauer: The unrelenting pessimism, the feeling that existence is full of an insatiable cruelty, the belief that pain increases with knowledge, the suggestion that all life oscillates between suffering and boredom, the perpetual struggle between life (instincts, will, or action) and knowledge (science, intellect, inaction or abstention), and suicide as a solution for a person in despair. Baroja's interest and belief in Schopenhau- er's doctrines were first revealed in his articles published in the Revista Nueva in 1899. See the Obras completas, VIII, p. 861.

13. Ciplijauskait6 observes that the novels written between 1910-1930 are more concerned with technique and therefore are more unified. Op. cit., p. 129.

14. The use of a central character as a unifying function is characteristic of most of Baroja's other novels. In the words of Angel Basanta, Baroja's main characters tie together "escenas y ambientes extraidos de una panoramica social amplia." See his book La novela de Baroia. El esperpento de Valle- Incldn (Madrid: Cincel, 1980), p. 11.

15. L.I. Martinez de Narvajas feels that the division of the novel into many short chapters with titles is unnecessary because all of the novel's action is unified. According to him, Baroja fell into the habit of using this technique after the success of his first few works which were published in serial form-a form requiring many short units over a period of time. Op. cit., p. 53.

16. Beser calls Part IV the: "eje central . . . piedra clave de la organizaci6n simetrica del texto... recapitulaci6n ideologica de todo lo interior... punto ideol6gico de llegada de la peripecia vital y mental del protagonista." Op. cit., p. 73.

17. Nallim's impression as he was reading the novel was one of total disunity. In retrospect, however, his opinion changed drastically: "Acabada la lectura ... pensaremos en un aditamento de hechos, aunque, tras esa suma y tras el aparente desorden, notaremos un orden dado por las ideas que centran la obra." Op. cit., p. 79.

18. Fox believes Lamela illustrates Schopenhauer's philosophy that awareness (intelligence or knowledge) increases one's pain. Lamela, unaware of the truth about his sweetheart, is happy. Don Quixote, of course, has a similar fantasy about Dulcinea. Op. cit., p. 356.

19. Beser confirms that the many secondary characters serve to "provocar en el lector una constante impresi6n del espectaculo del mundo y de la vida como algo deprimente y justificar y abonar el pesimismo schopenhaueriano del protagonista." Op. cit., p. 46.

20. Ortega y Gasset felt that the rambling quality represented a strength rather than a weakness: "El arte de Baroja estriba en la aportaci6n de todos los elementos de vida en su ca6tica irregularidad." See his article in Baroja en el banquillo (Tribunal extranjero), p. 193.

21. Mariano Latorre's general comments about Baroja's technique apply specif- ically to El drbol de la ciencia: "La tecnica seguida por el novelista, anar- quica y arbitraria, tiene una curiosa relacion con los acontecimientos que retrata. Los hechos y su narraci6n guardan perfecto acuerdo." See his article

30

"Pio Baroja y el ciclo 'La selva oscura,"' in Baroja en el banquillo (Tribunal extranjero), p. 310.

22. Although Baroja calls her a "cerebral" woman for whom everything has an intellectual explanation, Lulfi is not an intellectual in the purest sense of the word. Her "knowledge" or "intellect" has not been acquired, as in Andres's case, but rather intuited. Magdalena Cueto Perez agrees: "Lulii nos parece mucho mas instintiva que racional; sin embargo, tanto el narrador como el protagonista coinciden en considerarla, sin proponer razones justificativas, como una mujer 'inteligente y cerebral."' Op. cit., p. 186. Mary Lee Bretz thinks Luli's personality is essentially enigmatic and contradictory: "Cinica pero afectuosa, intelectual y a la vez instintiva, descarada aunque timida, Luli no cabe en ningun casillero." Op. cit., p. 385.

23. D.L. Shaw finds the series of tragic events at the end of the novel to be less than realistic-a deliberate manipulation of the narrative in a novel where logic and symmetry have prevailed. See "The Concept of 'ataraxia' in the Later Novels of Baroja" in Bulletin of Hispanic Studies, XXXIV (1957), p. 31.

24. Earle believes Andres Hurtado's and Dr. Iturrioz's discussions represent a combination of monologues Baroja had with himself. See his article "Baroja y su etica de la imposibilidad" in Cuadernos hispanoamericanos 265-267 (1972), p. 74. C.A. Longhurst observes that neither Andr6s nor his uncle "can be taken as the author's mouthpiece; but together they represent an author- ial conflict." See Pio Baroja, El mundo es ansi (London: Grant and Cutler, 1977), p. 37.

25. Many of Andres's experiences are the same as those Baroja himself had as a medical student and a general practitioner. Andr6s's experiences are so closely parallel to Baroja's that the author frequently reproduced entire paragraphs from El drbol de la ciencia when he wrote the second volume of his Memorias in 1944, Familia, infancia y juventud.

26. In another conversation with Iturrioz, Andr6s states that he would like to destroy all conventional thoughts and forget them. He could then create new concepts which would have an intellectual, rather than traditional basis. He would analyze ideologies in a scientific way and discover some important theory of life. He then compares his idea to medical and scientific progress, mentioning new discoveries and research: "Por la desintegraci6n electrolitica de los atomos van apareciendo estos iones y electrones mal conocidos. Usted sabe tambien que algunos hist6logos han querido encon- trar en el protoplasma de las celulas granos que consideran como unidades organicas elementales; y que han llamado bioblastos." [p. 226. All quota- tions and references to El drbol de la ciencia are being taken from the Las Am6ricas Publishing Co. edition (New York, n.d.), since passages from the original have been censored in the Obras completas.] These scientific terms are generally known today, but they were rather obscure in 1911 when the novel was first published. Although Baroja was offering real scientific facts, with precise language, the work probably seemed exotic and bizarre to many readers at that time.

27. In general, most of the descriptions are brief and merely serve the functional purpose of filling in the background to complete a scene.

28. Beser thinks the description of Alcolea, made from above the town and from a distance, reinforces the impression of Andr6s as a withdrawn and alienated individual. Op. cit., p. 44.

29. In his famous essay, El tema de nuestro tiempo (1923), (rtega y Gasset

31

discusses similar conflicts between reason and emotions ("raz6n vital"). El drbol de la ciencia could be, therefore, considered a forerunner of Ortega's ideology, not only an exposition of Schopenhauer's concepts. For Ortega's specific comments on El drbol de la ciencia see his Obras completas (Mad- rid: Revista de occidente, 1957), II, pp. 69-125.

30. Viewed from a historical-social perspective, the novel was undoubtedly an attempt on Baroja's part to point out the weaknesses and failures of his country to his compatriots. By dwelling on the negative aspects, he, like the other writers of his "Generation of 1898," thought he could stimulate in his readers a desire for change: "Los autores adscritos al "98" son, por encima de todo, moralistas, es decir, mentes aplicadas a la observaci6n y al estudio del hombre, de la verdad humana y del sentido de la existencia, ya sea de un modo esencial y universal, ya limitando el campo de inspecci6n a Espafia, su ser y sus gentes... les importa primeramente la regeneraci6n del hombre

." Gonzalo Sobejano, Nietzsche en Espafia (Madrid: Credos, 1967), pp. 32. 33.

A NATIONAL BLACK WRITERS CONFERENCE

SPONSOR:

WHEN: WHERE:

TELEPHONE: STATEMENT:

THEME:

PARTICIPANTS:

CONTACT PERSONS:

The Humanities Division of Medgar Evers Col- lege of the City University of New York

March 24-27, 1988

Medgar Evers College 1150 Carroll Street Brooklyn, New York 11225

(718) 735-1801/02 The Humanities Division received a grant for this conference from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Images of Black Folk in American Literature and in the Literature of the Other Americas

John O. Killens, Amiri Baraka, Mari Evans, Margaret Walker Alexander, Shirley Anne Wil- liams, Paul Carter Harrison, George Lamming, Abdias Do Nascimento, William Luis, Ishmael Reed, Michelle Wallace, Audre Lorde, Toni Cade Bambara, Brenda Wilkinson, Beryle Ban- field, Nicholasa Mohr, Robert Marquez, Nancy Morejon, Eugene Redmond, Derek Walcott, Spike Lee, Walter Dean Myers and others.

John O. Killens, Director Elizabeth Nunez-Harrell, Co-Director

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