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The House of Ulloa (Penguin Classics) by…
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The House of Ulloa (Penguin Classics) (original 1886; edition 2013)

by Emilia Pardo Bazan (Author), Lucia Graves (Translator), Paul O'Prey (Translator)

Series: Díptico de Ulloa (1)

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5891939,962 (3.83)72
Don Julián Álvarez, a young and timid priest, goes to the Pazos de Ulloa to serve the Marquis Don Pedro Moscoso as administrator, on the recommendation of the nobleman's uncle. Upon arriving at the Pazos, located in a rural area of Galicia, the priest is scandalized by the decaying state of the palace and the behavior of Don Pedro and his employees: The palace is in a dilapidated state, the library and the accounts abandoned, the chapel neglected by the current abbot. Don Pedro, who is not really a marquis since the title was sold, is ignorant and rustic, although he gives himself the air of a great lord. He spends most of his hunting time surrounded by disreputable characters.… (more)
Member:mattresslessness
Title:The House of Ulloa (Penguin Classics)
Authors:Emilia Pardo Bazan (Author)
Other authors:Lucia Graves (Translator), Paul O'Prey (Translator)
Info:Penguin Classics (2013), Edition: Reprint, 288 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:***1/2
Tags:None

Work Information

The House of Ulloa by Emilia Pardo Bazán (1886)

  1. 10
    Cecilia Valdés by Cirilo Villaverde (cammykitty)
    cammykitty: More melodramatic than House of Ulloa, but also steeped in nineteenth century Latino culture.
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» See also 72 mentions

English (14)  Spanish (3)  Dutch (1)  All languages (18)
Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)
8420610429
  archivomorero | Jun 27, 2022 |
The story a callow, unobservant newly consecrated priest sent by the man in whose house his mother is housekeeper to assist his nephew run a dilapidated estate. The estate is controlled by a local peasant gamekeeper who accompanies the almost illiterate nephew in a continual hunt, having pimped his daughter to his master and intimidated the locals. The young priest, helpless to do more than straighten a bit of the paperwork proceeds to cause misery to those he cares for the most by the end of the main action. In this almost nothing interested me, as with most mid-19th novels I want to put everyone up against a wall and have special prejudice against the hidalgo. But the sly observations of the author preserve this from being a soap opera or morality tale but instead a portrait or erring humanity in a spare and unforgiving world. ( )
  quondame | Jun 22, 2022 |
The House of Ulloa by Emilia Pardo Bazan was first published in Spain in 1886. It is set in 1868, the time of the Liberal Revolution that brought the vote for men over 25. The Carlists, backed by the aristocracy and the Catholic Church, opposed the Liberals. Towards the end of the book there's an election, wildly violent and blatantly corrupt, described in slapstick detail. An abbot and a priest are right in the thick of it. A great contrast to these hunting, drinking, fighting clerics is the newly ordained Father Julian, whom we meet in the first chapter, on his way to the House of Ulloa to provide guidance to the Marquis, the head of the House of Ulloa.

The pious, well-meaning, unworldly Father Julian is shocked by the unsavoury situation at the manor. His attempts to provide spiritual guidance to the marquis and to stem the corruption and disorder that surround him create new disasters. On his very first evening, Primitivo, the corrupt majordomo and the father of the serving girl who is the marquis's mistress, pours alcohol down the throat of his three-year-old grandchild. It's Gothic, and as you read on you're thinking, "Something terrible is going to happen," as though that's not terrible enough.

This is an extraordinary book, particularly considering that it was written in 1886. It's a gleeful satire of the corruption of society and the decline of the aristocracy in rural Spain. It's lively and funny, with characters a great deal larger than life. Highly recommended. ( )
1 vote pamelad | Feb 16, 2022 |
Supermodernísima doña Emilia. Muy recomendable ( )
  Orellana_Souto | Jul 27, 2021 |
A very odd little book, but wildly enjoyable: priestsploitation, plus gothicising HORROR, but the very next paragraph is broad satire or slapstick, so the gothic becomes funny. And I assume that's intentional. It moves very quickly for the 19th century, which helps. Even the clunky "oh, this book is kind of winding down too soon... I know, politics subplot!" twist ended up quite being quite fun.

Anything which just ignores genre boundaries like this is always more fun than even the best books that stick to them, I think. ( )
  stillatim | Oct 23, 2020 |
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» Add other authors (42 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Emilia Pardo Bazánprimary authorall editionscalculated
Ayala, María de los ÁngelesEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Caminals-Heath, RoserTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Clémessy, NellyTraductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Graves, LuciaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
O'Prey, PaulTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Penas Varela, ErmitasTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Penas, ErmitasEd. lit.secondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rosado Herrero, SoledadIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Souto Alabarce, ArturoIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Villanueva, DaríoIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Vries-Bovée, Elly deTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Don Julián Álvarez, a young and timid priest, goes to the Pazos de Ulloa to serve the Marquis Don Pedro Moscoso as administrator, on the recommendation of the nobleman's uncle. Upon arriving at the Pazos, located in a rural area of Galicia, the priest is scandalized by the decaying state of the palace and the behavior of Don Pedro and his employees: The palace is in a dilapidated state, the library and the accounts abandoned, the chapel neglected by the current abbot. Don Pedro, who is not really a marquis since the title was sold, is ignorant and rustic, although he gives himself the air of a great lord. He spends most of his hunting time surrounded by disreputable characters.

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