The eagerness of love or the masks of the nineteenth century discourse of Reconquista in Jose Zorrilla "orientals"

Abstract

This article analyzes the eight strategies that allow masking the nineteenth century discourse of Reconquista, behind loves themes, in the six oriental of Jose Zorrilla. These poems mostly participate in the civic and conservative awareness of Zorrilla. It contributes with imaginary and collective representation of Spanish national identity, in the first half of 19th Century. The idealized image of women, sensoriality and sensuality, and the exoticism enable to mask a patriotic sense. It is based on the romantic medievalism, Spanish colonialism, race concept, border societies, Spanish imperial sovereignty, Castilian language, diurnal regimen of symbolic imagination; using of archetypical, historic, mythic, stereotypical and from Moorish Romance figures; stylistic using of descriptive and pathetic figures and tropes; as well as courtly topics of superiority of the love one, rejection of lover and dawn. Despite Zorrilla traditionalism, his liberal voice is heard on the sixth oriental. It proposes a new romantic love concept which, on one hand, criticizes the History distortion according to nationalistic policy and, on the other hand, subverts the hegemonic system, its official recognition and repression.