Scabs and shells. State and Consciousness as obstacles in Ortega’s and Unamuno’s early works
Abstract
In this article I inquire into the reasons of Ortega reformist impetus’ first failure. I do so by interpreting two 1914 texts that exemplify his youth project: "Vieja y nueva política" and "Ensayo de estética a manera de prólogo". The first one deals with the constitution of “vital Spain” as a state. The second one addresses the problem of revelation of subject’s inner essence. In both cases there is an obstacle difficult to overcome: “official Spain” and consciousness, which are defined in similar terms. I analyze these texts with the help of En torno al casticismo and Nuevo mundo, written in 1895 by Unamuno. Both Unamuno and Ortega resort to art as a means of revealing essence, in accordance with Speculative Theory of Art (Schaeffer [1992]). However, this school of thought only procures a precarious revelation.
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