Abstract
The purpose of this essay is to refute the common notion that Galdós’s DoñaPerfecta is simply a “thesis novel” in favor of a broader and more complexview. The analysis of some dual-natured animal symbols (centaur, dragon,harpy, and basilisk) and their metaphorical function within the narrativecontext reveal an underlying structure characterized by ambiguity and duplicity,which means both a twofold quality and double-dealing. Duplicity is, inturn, strictly linked to the theme of the novel: deception and self-deception.Nueva Revista de Filología Hispánica (1947-), volume 66, 2, July-December 2018, is a semi-annual publication edited by El Colegio de México, Carretera Picacho Ajusco 20, Ampliación Fuentes del Pedregal, Tlalpan, C.P. 14110, Mexico City, Mexico, Tel. (55) 5449-3000, http://nrfh.colmex.mx/index.php/NRFH, nrfh@colmex.mx. Editor: Pedro Martín Butragueño. Assistant editors: Alejandro Rivas and Jesus Jorge Valenzuela. All Rights Reserved: 04-2015-070112341900-203, ISSN (print): 0185-0121, ISSN (electronic): 2448-6558, as registered with the National Copyright Institute. Typographical composition: El Atril Tipográfico. Person in charge of updating this issue: Perla Reyna Muñoz; date of last update: June 26, 2018.
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