José María de Pereda's concepts of politics, religion and the ideal life of the peasant as shown in his thesis novels

Abstract

All of la Montana may be found in the novels of Jose Maria de Pereda. The countryside, the lofty mountains, the valleys, the rivers, and the sea itself comprise the setting against which he places his characters and against which we see the drama of their lives unfold. Life continues for them in its usual pattern -- sometimes uneventful, sometimes challenging, sometimes allowing drearns for a pleasant future, and sometimes bringing heartache and sorrow. The customs of the people, the language as they speak it, the thoughts they share, and the intensity of their religious faith are as real as the storms which sweep the mountains and the sea.