Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Department
Modern Languages
Additional Departmental Affiliation
History
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
While studying abroad in Spain, I learned the Spanish Civil War is a controversial, even taboo, subject not broached outside the classroom, and this sparked a curiosity to know the truth. Both Arturo Barea and George Orwell wrote books about the Spanish Civil War based on their personal experiences in order to portray the truth as they lived it. This essay analyzes Spanish author Barea's La llama and George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia individually and comparatively. Both authors were immersed in similar experiences on paper, but their portrayal differs greatly. I discuss how various literary tools employed - insider versus outsider perspectives, writing style, and tone - as well as location can change a narrative. I argue that one cannot get a whole picture of the Spanish Civil War with either text, for each has its own limits. Read together, though, one gets a more well-rounded view of the Spanish Civil War and its effect on those involved.
Advisor(s) or Committee Chair
Marla Zubel, Ph.D.
Disciplines
Comparative Literature | English Language and Literature | Spanish Literature
Recommended Citation
Howard, Autumn, "Two Stories, One War: Arturo Barea, George Orwell, and the Spanish Civil War" (2024). Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects. Paper 1035.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses/1035
Included in
Comparative Literature Commons, English Language and Literature Commons, Spanish Literature Commons