The REGENTA of Clarín

The Regent It is one of the most important and relevant works of Spanish literature. As we well know, this novel has been studied for decades in many educational settings. Published in two volumes by Leopoldo Alas «Clarín» between 1884 and 1885, The Regent It is considered the culmination of its author's work, as well as one of the most significant novels of the 20th century in Spain. However, also having this work as an essential exponent of realism and naturalism, in a Professor we are going to do a short summary of The Regentto and understand your argument. Can you come with us?

Index

1. The Regenta's Argument
2. La Regenta Summary
3. End of La Regenta

Before starting with the short summary of The Regent we are going to contextualize the work. The novel of Leopoldo Alas «Clarín» it is mainly divided into two parts. It could be said that each of its chapters has its own autonomy, but that they work perfectly as a whole.

In short, and although now we will go more fully into the summary of the novel itself,

After falling in love with a new priest in the town of Vetusta where she resides, Ana travels through her memories that led to her being who she is today. Later, the girl falls in love with another man named Álvaro, who faces a duel to the death with Víctor, the protagonist's husband.

With its more than one hundred characters and its episodic character with a naturalistic style, it is difficult to make a summary in an easy way The Regent. In fact, there are those who connect the argument of this work with that of Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.

We already start with the summary of The Regent speaking of the beginnings: this work starts in Vetusta (a fictional city that is allegorically related to Oviedo), where Ana Ozores resides, which belongs to a family of low nobility and is married to Víctor Quintanar out of interest. In the city where they meet, the vulgar and ignorance or ignorance reign.

Ana's husband runs the Audiencia, and that's where the name of The Regent. However, Ana, despite feeling close to her husband, and being her husband much older than her, feels lonely and bored, where her relationship with the man does not go beyond pure friendship .

It is then that they are shown to both haunt two different attitudes to recreate or escape the monotony. While Victor is fond of hunting, Ana begins to frequent the church in the city and get closer to religion. There she befriends Father Cayetano, who is in charge of listening to the woman's confessions.

However, after a while, the man retires and is replaced by Fermín, a young priest. It is then that, after several confessions, and making a general confession, Ana begins to feel attracted to the new priest. This shakes the lives of both to a certain extent, who cannot relate to each other in a way that moves away from the religious.

After this event, and as a result of her last confession with Fermín, as we said, Ana remembers her childhood and all the important moments her that she lived up to the present. With this, the woman remembers that when her parents passed away, her aunts took care of her and, later, made her marry Victor.

Despite the feelings that floated between Ana and Fermín, she continues to go to church to go to confession, feeling very comfortable with him. This is causing a series of rumors by the town about the two of them.

To finish the summary of The Regent we will indicate the final parts of the work.

One day when Victor decided to go to the theater, Ana stays home in the dark and decides to write a letter to Fermín. However, when she finds herself looking for paper to write the letter on, when there is no power, she ends up trapped in one of her husband's hunting cages. Later, Don Álvaro finds her by chance locked up and decides to save her.

This man, who is a womanizer, had always been in love with Ana, in fact, after a few days he decides to woo Ana, which makes her start to see him that way too. At a town party, Ana begins to internally debate her feelings for Fermín and Álvaro, a fact that, as we said, makes her end up corresponding with more security to Álvaro.

Finally, Victor ends up learning about the romance that exists between his wife and Álvaro, since Fermín tells him full of anger and jealousy. After this news, Víctor faces a duel to the death with Álvaro, which ends with the death of Ana's husband and Álvaro fleeing the city scared by the reprisals that could fall on him.

After that, Ana, being alone, ends up sick at home. After time, he goes back to Fermín, but she ends up fainting as a result of the contempt that underlies the priest's words. Shortly after, the acolyte Caledonio finds her prostrate on the ground and, succumbing to her worst wishes, decides to kiss her wife.

If you want to read more articles similar to La Regenta: short summary, we recommend that you enter our category of History of Literature.

• Anton, A. (s.f.) Summary of La Regenta by Leopoldo Clarín Alas. Studento.com
• Navarro, P. (s.f.). The Regent. Abstractbook.com