BETWEEN MEMORY AND OBLIVION: EDUCATION IN “DIARIO DE UNA MAESTRA” BY DOLORES MEDIO
The novel “Diario de una maestra” is a literary work belonging to Dolores Medio, one of the few female writers of the Spanish Civil War’s narrative. Through the main character of the novel, Irene Gal, a young teacher fated to teach in a small village in Asturias, each page of the book reveals Irene’s intentions to promote new educational methods in order to reach her pupils’ hearths through reason, emotion and comprehension. This kind of progressive education characterized the reforms made by the government of the Spanish Second Republic, reforms that will be interrupted by General Franco, who led the nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic. This novel cannot be understood without considering the social context of Spain, the Civil War and its subsequent repression.
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