The Firts Literary Histories and the Establishment of the National Education System

Abstract

This paper analyzes the uses of national literary discourse in the Spanish educational system and rethinks the foundations of school literary historiography. Using the historical method of investigation, we first review the process of constructing Spanish nationalism from both political and literary perspectives. Next, we examine the emergence of national history through the early historical accounts of literature published during the 18th century, the first anthologies that also emerged at that time, and the first manual for teaching Spanish literature written by Antonio Gil de Zárate (1844). In light of the materials studied, this research shows how literary discourse has been used in Spanish Literature or Spanish Language and Literature lessos to construct a "we", to promote Spanish national identity, and consequently, social cohesion.