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Distributed for University of Wales Press

Jesus of Nazareth in the Literature of Unamuno

A new survey of Unamuno’s understanding of the fountainhead of Christianity.

Unamuno’s perception of Christianity, which has a major presence in his work, has proved controversial. This book adopts a new approach by studying what Unamuno has made of the fountainhead of Christianity in six of his works. It examines three major essays, including “The Tragic Sense of Life,” and three more purely literary works, including the long poem “The Christ of Velázquez.”

248 pages | 1 color plate | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2023

Iberian and Latin American Studies

Literature and Literary Criticism: General Criticism and Critical Theory, Romance Languages


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Reviews

"Longhurst’s clear and carefully reasoned study shows how Unamuno took Christianity’s divinized Jesus and repositioned him as a human being – who, for Unamuno, often inspired faith in both the social vision and the eschatological possibilities that Jesus put forth."

Thomas R. Franz, professor emeritus of Spanish, Ohio University

"Unamuno’s God differs whenever he envisions him, and his Jesus is multifaceted – quixotic, tragic, human, embattled, of the people, poetic, and susceptible to cogent synthesis. Balancing depth and breadth, Jesus of Nazareth in the Literature of Unamuno pioneers study of Unamuno’s Jesus, omnipresent in its pages."

Nelson R. Orringer, professor emeritus of Spanish and comparative literature, University of Connecticut

"Longhurst is a leading authority on Miguel de Unamuno. In this brilliant study of the figure of Jesus of Nazareth in Unamuno’s work, the reader is taken on a majestic sweep through literature, theology, art and philosophy. This is an essential and prodigious exploration of the human struggle between hope and agonismo."

Revd Dr John McCulloch, research fellow and senior associate editor, Bulletin of Spanish Studies

Table of Contents

Preface
List of illustrations
Chapter 1: A Quixotic Jesus: From En torno al casticismo to Vida de Don Quijote y Sancho
Chapter 2: A Tragic Jesus: Del sentimiento trágico de la vida
Chapter 3: A Human Jesus: El Cristo de Velázquez
Chapter 4: An Embattled Jesus: La agonía del cristianismo
Chapter 5: A People’s Jesus: San Manuel Bueno, mártir
Chapter 6: A Poetic Jesus: From Poesías to Cancionero
Chapter 7: Conclusion: Unamuno and Jesus
Endnotes
Works cited
Index

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