SOURCE: Linares, Henry A. “Individual Status Versus Community Interest in ‘La cencerrada’ by Vincente Blasco Ibáñez.” Journal of Evolutionary Psychology 20, nos. 3-4 (August 2000): 203-05.

In the following essay, Linares finds Ibáñez's “La cencerrada” to be an example of naturalism.

“La cencerrada” written by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (known in the United States as the author of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse)¹ is a short story which can be classified as a product of the literary movement known as Naturalism which flourished in Europe near the end of the 19th century. One of the principal tenants of this movement was to demonstrate that the environment exerted a major influence on the behavior of the characters. Environmental factors were described as forces that controlled and determined the actions of characters who would not be able to escape a pre-determined destiny through personal efforts. However, this type of...