Although they are set in different periods and focus on different strata of society Do a
Doña Perfecta and Requiem por un campesino español were written at two different periods during the conflict between the Two Spains, but through the novels, the authors, Benito Perez Galdós and Ramón Sender, achieve a clear and realistic portrayal of the discord in the country at the time. There are many ways in which they do this, some are similar and others very different; but all contribute to two outstanding novels of a very difficult period in Spanish history. ... Both authors use the characters as representations of the different sides of the conflict but the way in which they do this is very different. ... They were once so close but have come to stand for completely different things. ... The protagonist stands for the development of a new Spain, but in a different sense. ... Pepe couldn’t be more different from the inhabitants of the city, who bask in the former glory of their city, constantly referring to the production of garlic which has in fact been quite poor in recent years. ... The importance of this is clear; the inhabitants, although aware of outside events do not seem to be ruled over by central government. ... Through Doña Perfecta, it is clear that although an anonymous narrator is telling the story, we are seeing much of the events through the eyes of Pepe Rey. ... It seems as though he is satirising ‘Old Spain’, mocking the characters and the places with the irony of their names, but at the same time, he also makes the reader aware that Pepe does not like the high society and frivolous fashions of life in Madrid. ... The fact that they are set in different periods and focus on different strata of society matters not; everybody was affected by the conflict between the Two Spains, the result being pointless death and tragedy for all.