[Campos de Níjar (1960) and La chanca (1962)] are travelogues of an unusual type since the narrator uses the genre to criticize the Spanish government for allowing the social ills he witnesses. As a consequence, he is highly selective in what he is showing to the reader, and the works should be considered as written documentaries of the social conditions of the people and the areas of Spain displayed. An important reason for studying the travelogues is their relationship to later novels; some motifs of these two works will appear in Señas de identidad, Don Julián, and Juan sin tierra, and it may be recalled that the novel in general is related to history and travelogue form. (p. 5)

In Campos de Níjar and La chanca there are one distinct dynamic motif and a large number of free ones. The prominence of the latter is the obvious...