Galdós' Doña Perfecta and Turgenev's Fathers and Sons: Two Interpretations of the Conflict between Generations

I T IS generally assumed that of the seven novels of Gald6s' first period of writing the most important are Dona Perfecta, Gloria, Marianela, and Lafamilia de Leon Roch. Serious studies have examined the sources utilized by Gald6s in the creation of all of these novels1-except Dona Perfecta. Because the latter is the earliest of the four novels, and because it is considered to be one or the best-known and most important of Gald6s' works, an investigation of its origins seems in order. The purpose of this study is to suggest a prime source for Gald6s' Dona Perfecta: Ivan Turgenev's famous masterpiece Fathers and Sons (1861); and, further, to show how Gald6s, in treating similar material, differs from Turgenev. During an interview granted at his Madrid home in 1884 to the Russian journalist and foreign correspondent Isaak Ia. Pavlovskii, Gald6s said: "Turgenev's death has shocked me very much. He was my great teacher; I know all of his works and love him like a friend although I never met him personally. He wrote to me twice and I guard his letters like holy relics" (italics added).2 Proof that Pavlovskii and Gald6s knew each other is seen in the fact that the Russian correspondent subsequently gave Gald6s an autographed copy of his book Souvenirs sur Turgueneff (Paris, 1887), which Gald6s kept in his Santander library.3 Although the Pavlovskii interview with Gald6s has been known to Russian scholars for a number of years, 4 it has only recently appeared in a western language.5 The statement about Turgenev obviously offers new possibilities for an understanding of Gald6s' contact with Russian literature. Most important, it seems to indicate that the Russian influence often noted in Gald6s' later works may have emerged at a much earlier date than generally acknowledged. Echoes of Russian influence have been noted from Fortunata y Jacinta (1886-87) onward. Angel Guerra, Realidad, and N azarln-all published in the 1890's-are among the novels