Visor de obras.

In La Regenta it is Ana Ozores herself who ascribes a dual significance to her husband's half-smoked and abandoned cigar when she «pensaba en el marido incapaz de fumar un puro entero y de querer por entero a una mujer. Ella era también como aquel cigarro, una cosa que no había servido para uno y que ya no podía servir para otro» (2: 10). A cigar also features in Galdós's Tristana but the reader's likely interpretation is now rather different. While in conversation with Tristana in his room, Lope «encendió un puro» (1565). He proceeds to warn her about her behaviour, «dando una feroz mordida al cigarro» (1566). When Tristana reacts angrily, he places the cigar on a small table in order to comfort her, «volviendo a tomar su cigarro» moments later (1566). Given the self-evident phallic connotations of the cigar (as already recognised in the incident in La Regenta), this sequence of events can be considered as representative of the dual nature of the behaviour of Don Lope towards Tristana, his mistress-daughter. Lope dictates the nature of his relationship with Tristana in the same way as he controls his cigar in this scene. This cigar symbolism also sheds light on an earlier definition of Tristana, who is presented as one of Lope's possessions: «¡y ella parecia tan resignada a ser petaca, y siempre petaca!» (1542). The second definition of «Petaca» in the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española reads: «estuche de cuero, metal u otra materia que sirve para llevar cigarros o tabaco picado». The coexistence of Lope's cigar and Tristana as his «petaca» needs no elaboration. Further, just as Ana felt that she, like the half-smoked cigar, had been rendered useless by her husband, so too Tristana, not married but dishonoured, claims that, as a result of Lope's behaviour, «estoy ya imposibilitada de casarme» (1570).

Another reference to cigar-lighting occurs in Chapter 25 of Tristana when Lope is discussing with Saturna a potential visit from Horacio to the invalid Tristana. There is no elaboration of the action but its connection with the earlier sequence in the novel is underlined by the fact that it occurs immediately after Saturna's exclamation «¡Ay, que tirano!» (1602).

Slippers also afford a link between the two male protagonists. In La Regenta Víctor makes a stately exit from his wife's room and proceeds towards his own «con majestuoso paso, no obstante calzar bordadas zapatillas» (1:177-78). A superficially similar incongruity occurs in Tristana when Lope's theatrical grandiloquence is partially undermined by the fact that he is speaking in prose and wearing slippers «que por la decadencia en que vivían no eran de lo más elegante» (1567). These slippers had been introduced earlier in the chapter when Lope, described on this occasion as «el Don Juan en decadencia», had removed his boots and put on the slippers, which Tristana «para disimular la estupefacción en que había quedado, le trajo de la alcoba cercana» (1565). Tristana's attempt to cover the confusion created by Lope's suspicious accusations about her behaviour is potentially counterproductive. By fetching Lope his slippers from the   —126→   bedroom she could be seen as reinforcing the sexual and social subservience in which he has placed her. She is acting at one and the same time as a dutiful wife, daughter and maidservant. Additionally, the sexual symbolism frequently associated with shoes/slippers as receptacles for the foot, itself a phallic symbol, underlines the deeper significance of Tristana's action. The slippers feature for a third time on the occasion of Horacio's first visit to the invalid Tristana. Despite his stated intention to absent himself during the reunion, Lope remains in the house and «iba y venía sin sosiego por el interior de la casa, calzado de silenciosas zapatillas, para que no se le sintieran los pasos» (1605). The slippers, which were once linked with his sexual prowess, have apparently been reduced to a utilitarian role. It is, however, important to note that the slippers, like Tristana, are still in his possession.

Víctor Quintanar's susceptibilities do not allow him to wear a nightcap. This is not so much because of personal vanity as because «guía de los gorros de noche por una preocupación literaria. Decía que el gorro de dormir era una punta que atraía los atributos de la infidelidad conyugal» (2: 284). On cold nights he substitutes for the potentially offensive headgear a green silk cap with a «larga borla de oro» (2: 284 and see also 1: 174; 1: 175; 1: 248; 2: 431).¹⁰⁸ Is it such a «superstición respetable» (2: 284) which motivates Lope to remove his own nightcap before Tristana enters his bedroom (1567)? Or is it simply his inveterate pride in his own appearance? In both cases the eschewing of the nightcap fails to prevent the emergence of a younger rival. Víctor apparently thought he could avert marital dishonour by replacing the nightcap with his tasselled daytime version.¹⁰⁹ Like the cigar, the useless tassel could be considered a silent reminder of his failure as a husband rather than as simply the decoration on an item of protective headgear.

The disaster Víctor is hoping to avoid is that of being cuckolded. Articulation of that state is virtually impossible for him. The enormity of his wife's treacherous behaviour at first leaves him almost at a loss for words: «esto no tiene nombre, ¡oh! sí lo tiene...» (2: 478) and the dreaded word impinges on his consciousness: «'¡Soy un tal, soy un tal!', y se lo decía a sí mismo con todas sus letras» (2: 478).¹¹⁰ The hated word again surfaces in his mind when considering the reaction of the community: «'Vetusta entera me tiene por un... un... por un...' y saltaba don Víctor cerca del techo al oírse a sí mismo en el cerebro la vergonzosa palabra» (2: 504). Lope seems similarly reluctant to provide a concrete label for himself when warning Tristana not to encourage «cualquier mequetrefe para que me tome a mi por un...» (1566). The two normally fluent speakers are silenced on this point.

Any comparison between Víctor Quintanar and Don Lope cannot ignore the fact that there is an ironic inversion between their two situations.¹¹¹ Víctor, who married a young bride and at times theatrically contemplated killing her or any potential young lover, is himself killed ignominiously in a duel. Don Lope, the lover and guardian of Tristana, who has allegedly himself killed four rivals in the past and who was such a steadfast opponent of matrimony, finally marries and settles to a life of domesticity. The middle-aged husband of Ana is never really her lover; the aging ex-lover of Tristana eventually becomes her husband.

In both of these relationships there are additional confusions of identity and association. Víctor, whose marriage to Ana should have presupposed a conjugal relationship with her despite the difference in age, seems intent on establishing a father-daughter   —127→   situation. He addresses his wife as «hija mía» and places a «beso paternal» on her forehead (for example, 1: 175 and 1: 384). His fatherly, protective stance towards his nineteen-year old bride is the one which should have been adopted by Lope after Doña Josefina's death brought Tristana, at the same age, into his care. Yet only two months after her arrival in his house Lope «aumentó con ella la lista ya larguísima de sus batallas ganadas a la inocencia» (1547). The reader's reaction to his address to her as «hija mía» and his decorous kisses on her hands and head (1566) have to be seen against this background. This is, however, an over simplification of their respective attitudes since various additional developments and vacillations are noted. According to Ana, after his marriage, Víctor «se había pasado al papel de barba que le sentaba mejor» (1: 376). Despite the fact that his affection for Ana is solely paternal (and see her lament on 1: 375-76), he considers future action in the event of her infidelity from the point of view of an offended husband (1: 180-81). However, the actual discovery of the adulterous liaison between his wife and Mesía arouses in him the feelings of an aggrieved father rather than a deceived spouse. Both this expressed love for her and his reaction to her behaviour are those of a father (2: 474-75), although he realizes society will see him simply as «un marido burlado», because that is what he actually is (2: 475) and he should, therefore, act as such. Indeed, the narrator soon refers to him in exactly those terms (2: 502). Ana herself is confused regarding the nature of her multi-levelled relationship to Víctor: «aquello era el padre, la madre, el hermano» (2: 113).

The relationship between Lope and Tristana also undergoes various shifts and interpretations. As Lope himself proclaims to Tristana: «Te miro como esposa y como hija, según me convenga» (1566). He can dictate the terms of the relationship in the same way as he can hold or relinquish his cigar. Tristana indicates on more than one occasion that she could accept and even love Lope if he behaved solely as a father (see, for example, 1564), but she cannot tolerate his ongoing attempts to dominate her as if he were her husband (1564). Like Ana, although in different circumstances, she sometimes has to resort to more than one definition to convey the relationship: «No estoy casada con mi marido... digo, con mi papá... digo, con ese hombre» (1563-64). In addition to the father-husband tension, Lope is also seen potentially as Tristana's grandfather. Saturna, when urging Lope to allow Horacio to visit Tristana, stresses their youth and points out «usted está ya más para padre o para abuelo que para otra cosa» (1601). Horacio himself refers scathingly to Lope's «criterio de abuelo chocho» (1603), and when Tristana plays the piano, Lope becomes «verdaderamente lelo de admiración [...] y se ponía chocho, como un abuelo que ya no vive más que para mirar a su descendencia menuda» (1608). After they are married, he appears «menos chocho, menos lelo» (1611). It is as if his former status of father-grandfather has now been officially resolved by the marriage.

According to his wife, Víctor Quintanar had soon tired of playing the part of «galán» and had settled more happily into the role of «barba». The term «galán» is used to describe Lope no less than eighteen times in the course of Tristana.¹¹² It is virtually always qualified, usually by «viejo, maduro» or «anciano» (the latter 9 times), but also by terms indicating decline: «caduco» (3 times), «estropeado» and «en decadencia». Horacio is only twice referred to as «galán» (1555 and 1602: on the second occasion the definition is provided by Don Lope himself). These ongoing references, which persist to the final   —128→   chapter of the book, not only serve to keep before us Lope's reputation as a ladies' man (reinforced by the three links with Don Juan [1562, 1565, 1582]), but also bestow a certain theatricality on his behaviour in their forcible reminder of established male roles in the «reparto» of a Golden Age play. This is specifically underlined on the fourth occasion on which «galán» is mentioned. Tristana, awaking to a realisation of the way in which she has been dishonoured by her guardian and his despicable behaviour «vio en Lope al viejo, y agrandaba con su fantasía la ridícula presunción del anciano que [...] hace papeles de galán» (1548). It is evident that, in her opinion, Lope, like Víctor, should by now have opted for the more appropriate role of «barba».

Part of Víctor's problem was that he could not easily make the transition from the world of theatre and literature to the real world. Given the opportunity, he would have readily become an actor and would have equalled «cualquiera de estos otros primeros galanes» (2: 86). It seems that it is only in the theatrical context that he can consider himself a «galán».¹¹³ When Ana's behaviour produces his very own «drama de capa y espada» (2: 473), not only does he initially shrink from basing his actions on the classical literary model, but even follows Frígilis's advice not to rush in and confront Ana «como los maridos de teatro» (2: 487). On an earlier occasion Víctor had dismissed Frígilis's comment that «en el mundo un marido no está para divertir al público con emociones fuertes y lo que debe hacer [...] es perseguir al seductor ante los tribunales» (1: 181) by claiming that his own particular forms of vengeance would be «dignos de ser puestos en décimas calderonianas» (1: 181). Confronted by the crisis, he feels impelled by both «las leyes del honor... y del teatro» (2: 502).

Lope's claim that he does not wish to «hacer el celoso de comedia ni el tirano doméstico» by curtailing Tristana's liberty (1567)¹¹⁴ may suggest behaviour appropriate to a jealous husband, but without realising it, he is, in fact, acting like «el padre noble de antigua comedia» (1567). Presumably relying on Lope's assertions, Tristana stresses to Horacio that Lope would not come and confront him in his studio as «ni por nada del mundo hace él el celoso de comedia», since it would be too undignfied (1576). However, any intrusion by Horacio into Lope's domain would probably result in violent death (1576). When Lope later arranges for Horacio to visit the invalid Tristana he questions «¿Creía tal vez que yo iba a salir por el registro del padre celoso o del tirano doméstico?» (1603). We note the introduction of the term «padre» here, which was absent from the earlier comment (1567). On the occasion of this encounter, both Lope and Horacio, «el anciano galán» and «el galán joven», are initially ill at ease, «no sabiendo qué actitud tomar» (1602). It is as if they are being asked to act out a new scene, not sufficiently rehearsed. After their interview, Lope is aware that Horacio is equally confused about his position in relation to Tristana «sin saber qué actitud tomar» (1604). It is Lope himself who officially allocates to Horacio the part of «novio» (1603), but the latter is unable to fill the role.

Víctor is ultimately a loser; Don Lope, the theatrical lady-killer, ends up married and a «pacífico burgués» (1612). The frequent occurrence of the adjective «triste» in the closing pages of La Regenta to describe the circumstances and environment of the protagonist may prompt the reader to see her as Triste-Ana.

University of Edinburgh

• Alas, Leopoldo «Clarín». La Regenta. Ed. Gonzalo Sobejano. 2 vols. Madrid: Castalia, 1989.
• Diccionario de la RealAcademia Española. 16ª ed. Madrid, 1939.
• Goldin, David. «Calderón, Cervantes, and Irony in Tristana». Anales Galdosianos 20. 1 (1985): 97-106.
• Gullón, Germán. «Visión y lectura en La Regenta». In La Regenta, de Leopoldo Alas. Ed. Frank Durand. Madrid: Taurus, 1988. 323-35.
• ——. La novela del XX: estudio sobre su evolución formal. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1990.
• Pérez Galdós, Benito. Obras completas. 6 vols. Ed. Federico Carlos Sainz de Robles. Madrid: Aguilar, 1950. Vol. 5.
• Richmond, Carolyn. «La Regenta, mirada y vista». In La Regenta, de Leopoldo Alas. Ed. Frank Durand. Madrid: Taurus, 1988. 352-57.
• Sánchez, Roberto. El teatro en la novela: Galdós y Clarín. Madrid: Ínsula, 1974.
• Sieburth, Stephanie A. Reading «La Regenta». Duplicitous Discourse and the Entropy of Structure. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 1990.
• Tsuchiya, Akiko. «The Struggle for Autonomy in Galdós's Tristana». Modern Language Notes 104 (1989): 330-50.
• Valis, Noël M. The Decadent Vision in Leopoldo Alas. Baton Rouge and London: Louisiana State Univ. Press, 1981.