A comparative study of José Zorrilla's "Margarita La Tornera" and some of its predecessors in romanic literature.

Abstract

It is a fundamental purpose of literature to express the eternal aspirations of the human heart. Only themes that do embody these natural impulses are undying. This explains the vitality of certain legends. The universal desire to know what is beyond life has inspired the often recurring device of sending a mortal down to Hades that he might return to tell his experiences. The oppressed and the unhappy have always longed for a sudden and beautiful lifting of their sorrows. This is the source and the appeal of the Cinderella legend. The compact of Doctor Faustus with the devil for boundless knowledge and superhuman power is symbolical of humanity's own strivings.