Galician cultural identity in the works of Ramón Otero Pedrayo (1888-1976)

<p>In the 1920's, the grouping of Galician intellectuals known as the <em>Xeración Nós</em> began, through their wide-ranging literary output and more specifically political activities, to articulate and reinterpret essential notions of Galician cultural identity after severa...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Patterson, C, Patterson, Craig
Other Authors: Dr Rutherford, D
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2002
Subjects:
_version_ 1826315698392006656
author Patterson, C
Patterson, Craig
author2 Dr Rutherford, D
author_facet Dr Rutherford, D
Patterson, C
Patterson, Craig
author_sort Patterson, C
collection OXFORD
description <p>In the 1920's, the grouping of Galician intellectuals known as the <em>Xeración Nós</em> began, through their wide-ranging literary output and more specifically political activities, to articulate and reinterpret essential notions of Galician cultural identity after several centuries of cultural repression and centralisation. This thesis examines both the nexus of inherited positions informing this cultural recovery, and its original reformulation, through the works of the most prominent intellectual of the <em>Xeración Nós</em>, Ramón Otero Pedrayo (1888 1976). Otero was an important figure in Galician intellectual and cultural life over the larger part of the twentieth century, especially when expression of Galician distinctiveness, whether political or cultural, was severely limited and largely discouraged by the Franco regime. He is particularly deserving of an in-depth study, especially since this theme so intrinsically associated with him has not yet been written upon from a perspective of cultural history.</p> <p>In order to provide as accurate an analysis as possible of Otero's conception of Galician reality and the developmental nature of his ideas, I have consulted a large number of texts, ranging from brief journalistic sketches to dense biographical tomes. In particular, I focus on the large body of essays written by Otero such as the <em>Ensaio histórico sobre a cultura galega</em> (1932) and the more imaginative configuration of Galician identity contained in the trilogy of novels <em>Os camiños da vida</em> (1928), <em>Arredor de si</em> (1930) and <em>Devalar</em> (1935). This allows for an analysis of the writer's perspective on the essential bases of Galician culture via the recuperation through literature (most notably the influence of the broad cultural revival initiated in the 1860's, or <em>Rexurdimento</em>, and the influence of historical and cultural co-ordinates ultimately derived from Romantic thought). Crucial in shaping Otero's definitive vision is an eclectic array of references from cultural history both ancient and modern, ideological import through the Celtic ideal, and contemporary social issues (such as the political climate of the Second Republic).</p> <p>To be seen firmly within the parameters of an intellectual history, this thesis has as its objective an explanation how these intrinsic and extrinsic sources of influence condition Otero's evaluation of Galician distinctiveness, and what that quality actually embodies, within the context of the cultural activity prevalent in Galicia from 1918 to 1936 and beyond.</p>
first_indexed 2024-03-06T19:01:47Z
format Thesis
id oxford-uuid:13caa1aa-e825-4e28-bac0-c4fa3e131cdb
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-09T03:30:49Z
publishDate 2002
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:13caa1aa-e825-4e28-bac0-c4fa3e131cdb2024-12-01T14:10:29ZGalician cultural identity in the works of Ramón Otero Pedrayo (1888-1976)Thesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:13caa1aa-e825-4e28-bac0-c4fa3e131cdbGalicia (Spain)CivilizationEnglishPolonsky Theses Digitisation Project2002Patterson, CPatterson, CraigDr Rutherford, D<p>In the 1920's, the grouping of Galician intellectuals known as the <em>Xeración Nós</em> began, through their wide-ranging literary output and more specifically political activities, to articulate and reinterpret essential notions of Galician cultural identity after several centuries of cultural repression and centralisation. This thesis examines both the nexus of inherited positions informing this cultural recovery, and its original reformulation, through the works of the most prominent intellectual of the <em>Xeración Nós</em>, Ramón Otero Pedrayo (1888 1976). Otero was an important figure in Galician intellectual and cultural life over the larger part of the twentieth century, especially when expression of Galician distinctiveness, whether political or cultural, was severely limited and largely discouraged by the Franco regime. He is particularly deserving of an in-depth study, especially since this theme so intrinsically associated with him has not yet been written upon from a perspective of cultural history.</p> <p>In order to provide as accurate an analysis as possible of Otero's conception of Galician reality and the developmental nature of his ideas, I have consulted a large number of texts, ranging from brief journalistic sketches to dense biographical tomes. In particular, I focus on the large body of essays written by Otero such as the <em>Ensaio histórico sobre a cultura galega</em> (1932) and the more imaginative configuration of Galician identity contained in the trilogy of novels <em>Os camiños da vida</em> (1928), <em>Arredor de si</em> (1930) and <em>Devalar</em> (1935). This allows for an analysis of the writer's perspective on the essential bases of Galician culture via the recuperation through literature (most notably the influence of the broad cultural revival initiated in the 1860's, or <em>Rexurdimento</em>, and the influence of historical and cultural co-ordinates ultimately derived from Romantic thought). Crucial in shaping Otero's definitive vision is an eclectic array of references from cultural history both ancient and modern, ideological import through the Celtic ideal, and contemporary social issues (such as the political climate of the Second Republic).</p> <p>To be seen firmly within the parameters of an intellectual history, this thesis has as its objective an explanation how these intrinsic and extrinsic sources of influence condition Otero's evaluation of Galician distinctiveness, and what that quality actually embodies, within the context of the cultural activity prevalent in Galicia from 1918 to 1936 and beyond.</p>
spellingShingle Galicia (Spain)
Civilization
Patterson, C
Patterson, Craig
Galician cultural identity in the works of Ramón Otero Pedrayo (1888-1976)
title Galician cultural identity in the works of Ramón Otero Pedrayo (1888-1976)
title_full Galician cultural identity in the works of Ramón Otero Pedrayo (1888-1976)
title_fullStr Galician cultural identity in the works of Ramón Otero Pedrayo (1888-1976)
title_full_unstemmed Galician cultural identity in the works of Ramón Otero Pedrayo (1888-1976)
title_short Galician cultural identity in the works of Ramón Otero Pedrayo (1888-1976)
title_sort galician cultural identity in the works of ramon otero pedrayo 1888 1976
topic Galicia (Spain)
Civilization
work_keys_str_mv AT pattersonc galicianculturalidentityintheworksoframonoteropedrayo18881976
AT pattersoncraig galicianculturalidentityintheworksoframonoteropedrayo18881976