The Spiritual Consciousness of Carmen Martin Gaite: The Whole of Life has Meaning

The religious outlook of Carmen Martín Gaite is explored through the inner journeys of five female characters, emphasizing the reconnection of the supernatural and day-to-day worlds and the descent to the unconscious.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 07 March 2023
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

An in-depth exploration of the religious outlook of Spanish writer Carmen Martín Gaite is presented through the inner journeys of five female characters. For Martín Gaite, a truly religious or spiritual perspective necessitates a conscious engagement with the contents of the unconscious, encompassing dreams, images, memories, and premonitions. This exploration is followed by reflection and action, as well as a similar attentiveness and responsiveness to external events, both significant and mundane. This reconnection of the supernatural and everyday realms also involves a descent into the unconscious, a pathway to wholeness, as depicted in numerous myths and fairy tales, including those that Martín Gaite retells or enhances in her analysis.

By examining the extent to which these female characters attend to, reflect on, and respond to their dreams, images, memories, and events, the analysis suggests that Martín Gaite employs her stories to convey both her personal path to enlightenment and cautionary warnings about paths that diverge from this.

Through these characters, Martín Gaite explores themes of spirituality, faith, and the human condition, offering insights into the complexities of the human experience and the search for meaning. Her stories serve as a testament to the power of storytelling to convey profound truths and inspire personal growth.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781855663886