The evolution and crystallization of Azorín's attitudes vis-à-vis Spain and her "problem" are revealed with unusual clarity in a given number of Azorín's short stories. These stories point to the change from youthful nonconformity regarding existing social and political conditions to serene conciliation with tradition, and they lay bare the complete volte face effected by Azorín with regard to both the letter and spirit of some of his earlier writings….

Even prior to the disaster of 1898, the early stories of Bohemia (1897) denote rabid dissatisfaction with Restoration Spain symbolized in part, by the "vida oficial" of Madrid. Rather than formulating general principles of national policy or studying the position of Spain at large, the stories of Bohemia strike out at the immediate society on the premise that minor social ailments may be symptomatic of widespread national disease. (p. 55)

Stories such as "La Ley" and "Envidia...