Dionysus in Spain: The New Divinity in Unamuno’s San Manuel Bueno, mártir

Authors

David Delbar, Brigham Young University
Roger Macfarlane, Brigham Young University

Keywords

dionysus in Spain, San Manuel Bueno, mártir, Unamuno

College

Humanities

Department

Comparative Arts and Letters

Abstract

Few characters are as enigmatic as the protagonist of Miguel de Unamuno’s San Manuel Bueno, mártir, and many scholars have attempted to discern the motivations of the saintly Catholic priest who does not believe in an afterlife. Because of the overt biblical allusions in the text and the personal struggles of the author with the Catholic faith, many approach the novella and its protagonist with a Christian interpretation, ignoring Unamuno’s extensive classical background. While Unamuno clearly modeled don Manuel as a Christ figure, he also embedded Dionysian characteristics that have thus far been unexamined in academic treatises of the work. This study attempts to find evidence of Dionysian characteristics in San Manuel Bueno, mártir and explain what interpretive implications such characteristics provide.

Recommended Citation

Delbar, David and Macfarlane, Roger (2015) "Dionysus in Spain: The New Divinity in Unamuno’s San Manuel Bueno, mártir," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2015: Iss. 1, Article 86.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2015/iss1/86