La imagen literaria del extrarradio en la novela española contemporánea (1950-1979)

Abstract

This article examines the literary images of the peripheral areas in the contemporary Spanish novels. By following a chronological order, the article examines the periods and the different literary aesthetics which have often considered these peripheral spaces in the cities of Madrid and Barcelona as places where social inequalities and conflict occurred. The analysis starts with late 19th century authors as it is the period when writers extend the descriptions of the urban areas and start covering more deprived areas. Eventually, in the fifties writers use this critical similar attitude again to express their disagreement with the society of the moment and to fight the lack of objective information about the real conditions of life in the outskirts. During the sixties, these spaces include the renovation of the prose and from the seventies to the present they have a discontinuous role in the novels. Although the outskirts never become a literary theme, some novels include this periphery. This article helps to examine the evolution, the changes and the characteristics these spaces have in the contemporary novel.