El Cura. (Caso de Incesto) Novela medico social (The Priest. Case
of Incest. Medical-Social Novel) (1885) constitutes, together with
La Regenta (1884-1885) by Leopoldo Alas, a.k.a. Clarin, one of the
best Spanish examples of anti-clerical literature, and yet another
example of Spain's increasing move towards secularization during
the second half of the XIX Century. El Cura (Caso de Incesto) is
the first novel of a trilogy -integrated also by El Confesionario
(Satiriasis) (The Confessional - Satyriasis) (1885) and La Monja
(The Nun) (1886)- that contests Christian sexual moral authority
and demands its suppression based on the laws of Nature. More than
a mere attack against the Catholic religion, El Cura highlights the
misuse, on the part of the Church, of certain religious beliefs, to
the detriment of the sexual (and mental) health of priests. Lopez
Bago's anti-clericalism, thus, is rather physiological than
political. As the author states, El Cura inaugurates a new series
of studies aimed at fighting ecclesiastic celibacy and its
dangerous consequences, seen from a socio-medical perspective. El
Cura tells the story of the relationship between Roman, a handsome
young priest, and his beautiful sister Gracia. The incest will not
take place until the end, but the whole plot is geared towards it.
Fermin, a fellow priest who lives with Ana, his concubine, cogently
symbolizes the decay of ecclesiastical ethics. According to El
Cura's clear-cut message, only the implementation of celibacy can
save the Catholic Church. For, as Lopez Bago puts it, celibate
priests live among us hiding their appetites, and do not starve to
death for the sole reason that they feast in secrecy. This edition
brings back to print an author and a novel that became a true best
seller during a particularly agitated period of Spanish history,
and in a time when sexuality fell under careful scrutiny both in
its social and scientific aspects. The foreword by prof. Maite
Zubiaurre highlights the common aspects shared by El Cura and
Clarin's La Regenta (1884-1885), one of the great literary
masterpieces of Spanish Realism and Naturalism. Both novels fall
prey to controversy and take a skeptical look at ecclesiastical
celibacy. More important, in both novels, female sexuality takes
center stage, and unavoidably degenerates into pathology and
hysteria.
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