The Lessons of San Manuel Bueno, martir

Many readers of San Manuel Bueno, màrtir, the story of a priest who does not believe in the religion he preaches, have equated the character Manuel Bueno with the author Miguel de Unamuno, a serious conceptual error. After a review of criticism and some theoretical considerations, I propose an understanding of the work as an indictment of conservative ideologies that would keep the masses in believing ignorance. Important to my understanding is the role of the narrator: àngela. The discursive control assumed by this female narrator provides a positive alternative to the negative lesson of the unbelieving priest.