Barbarita and Isabel, Book Review Example

This assignment is based on the novel Fortunata and Jacinta which was authored by Benito Perez Galdós (1843?1920). The story was originally written in Spanish in 1887 but has been translated to other languages and was first translated to English in 1973 by Lester Clark. The assignment will basically rely on two characters in this novel Barbarita and Isabel, so as to account how the author uses these two characters to define and produce a documental and a photographic text, which has the capability of reconstructing for the readers and the transformation that was incurred in Madrid in the 19^th century. This paper explains how the author uses the two characters to facilitate the understanding of this city transition.

The author uses these two women from the novel Fortunata y Jacinta who have after putting up with abusive men and unfaithful husbands were affected by the masculine discourse. These two women from different background one from Spain and the other in Venezuela story is linked up by the way masculine discourse takes effect of their lives and how they held down reconstruction of the cities of Madrid in the 19^th century.

Dona Barbara then Barbarita whose fiancé was brutally murdered and her aggressor’s constant rape ordeals in their hands as she was enslaved working as a cook in a boat full of men she detested. After she attained power in her own to avoid another tragedy and to be able to survive in the world of masculine discourse, she controlled her domain and dominated her surrounding and the men who lived around, she devoured her lovers and assumed them as her aggressors who rob her love of life and joy. This the transformation of the city is hindered by the fact that the author describes Dona Barbara dominance of this city streets, they are analyzed as dark and ugly, the author tries to give the readers a political message while describing the landscape of the town with desolated lands which personates death impressions and sadness.

Dona Perfecta who later becomes Isabel II a very inept queen, she contributed to the chaos around Spain in order to maintain her dominance in a masculine discoursed world she lived in. the city in this era was in a progressive state in development before Dona perfecto taking over and this is seen and as authored a big set back to the restoration of this city. The political agitation that the dominance of this woman from Venezuela brought to the city of Madrid is very torrid. The condition of this city deteriorated as the inept queen kept on with her controversial rule, which saw many murders and inhumane decisions and injustice.

The author maintains that both this barbaric dominated women both stimulated embody masculine aspects; the impact from this kind of collision of ideologies is seen very strong in the development of a city that is dominated by gender factors as the binary system. To this the author terms it as sexual disorderliness. This town before the reign of this inept queen was a type of patriarchal paradise and development was enacted and people appreciated though things changed after she took over. She arrived and all hell broke loose bringing her dark spirit commented by the masculine discourse to protect herself from this course in order to adopt it. Her own order existed collision as the specific order, after securing administrative powers, political and social influence her manifested collision engulfed the outside world and affected the landscape of this city. Where she lived was described as a nightmare by the local habitants. Her anti-binary presents and rule turned everything into poverty, death and desolation. This is the part the author us trying to address that with this kind of barbaric rules there is no possibility that could amount progression due to dominance of this two women affluence by masculine discourse.

The change of the Dona’s in the society in terms of superiority did not change their feminine, but this encouraged more adoption of their masculine mannerism. The collision of gender binary is here experienced in the political arena as both women had superior influence in this social stance. This is represented in major transition in the geography and politics of the city of Madrid and it came when this city really needed development and transition. The author describes the landscape and areas associated or linked to the domain dominated by these barbaric two women. The landscape of Castilian plateau as the author tries to explain how this women deterred transition are basically not then  same before this Dona’s came across them and put their domineering power on them. After this the town are described as ugly, dark and filled with negative aspects which hides the once positive titles of this towns leaving the town in a desolate and the landscape in a great antithesis, filled with impression of death and sadness, this was the impression of the Spanish landscape in the 19^th century. The collision of fratricidal wars brought about by the anti-binary body of the two Dona’s is what actually deterred development because most development were to be reinstate by men and this to the two domineering Dona’s was viewed as a threat, because of the disorders they both possessed their would therefore detest any recommendation made by the male gender.

This two Dona’s use of evil and supernatural power with impure and corrupt moral induced on the livelihood even of some of their relatives so as to achieve their conquest, show barbaric and ways which are oppressive to any progression that may have taken place. Their beliefs are here critically analyzed by the author as being evil in all merit but they veil under Christianity in pretense. The obsession by these two masculine discourse women is highly reflected as development and transitional determent. Their involvement in political and social matters made the Spanish regime nearly crumble. This two women share common disorder and lives outside the progressive civilization harboring more powers and political and social status and influence than should be normally be associated with their gender.

Work Cited

Galdós, Benito Perez. Fortunata and Jacinta. 2008. <<http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/espana/galdosp1.htm>>