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Introduction Composition of the Novel The novel immediately preceding Fortunata y Jacinta among Benito Perez Gald6s's novelas contempordneas was Lo prohibido. On the back of the last page of the manuscript of this novel, Gald6s records its writing schedule with scrupulous accuracy: "principiado este manuscrito el 19 de Nov-84 concluido el22 de Abril 85 ... 5 meses y tres dfas." The last page of text on the front of this"'same sheet bears the date "Marzo de 1885," which, as its editor James Whiston states, "evidently refers to the completion of PM [Whiston's designation of the final draft], and the date '22 de Abril 85' on the back of PM 1212 refers to the dispatch by Gald6s to the printers of the final set ofgalleys" (Early Stages 13-14). This dating is confirmed by Gald6s's letter to Leopoldo Alas of 6 Aprill and an introductory note to his article for La prensa of 30 April: "Esta carta va un poco atrasada por haberme entretenido mas tiempo del regular en correcciones de pruebas y otros ahogos literarios propios de la temporada en que acostumbramos lanzar nuestros libros a la calle" (Shoemaker, Cartas 153-54). Free then by the end ofApril from his major current commitment,2 Gald6s was ready in May to go on holiday to Portugal and Galicia with Jose Maria de Pereda and Santander businessman Andres Crespo Quintana. He spent the summer in Santander and on 20 September he answered two letters from Clarin (out of 200 he claims to have received during the summer), expressing his disappointment that he had not been able to go overseas as he had intended (Tinton~ 317-18).3 By 1 October he was home in Madrid. It is probable that he started work in earnest on Fortunata y Jacinta on his return from Portugal, as he indicates in his late and not always reliable Memorias de un desmemoriado. He also states that he had been gathering material beforehand (OC 6: 1437).4 This would fit with the very busy schedule he spoke of earlier in the year (letters of 24 February and 6 April; Tintore 309-11) and, given his capacity for unremitting work, it would scarcely be incompatible with the rapid completion of Lo prohibido in five months. Introduction The first version of Fortunata y Jacinta, labeled Alpha by Diane Beth Hyman (iii) in her transcription from the Harvard manuscript, is not dated, but it was presumably drafted during the second half of the year 1885, in some part, but still very indeterminately, during his summer residence in Santander and more intensely after his return to Madrid. Pereda comments in a letter of 8 November that "V. se marchaba de Santander sin llevar la visi6n de la novela de la temporada" (Ortega 101). It should be noted that the quite extensive "segundo pr610go" to his illustrated edition ofthe episodios nacionales is dated "Madrid.-Noviembre de 1885" (Shoemaker, Pr6logos 61). The end of the strenuous four-year effort of producing this polished edition now leaves him with more time for his new ambitious project. Thus in December he speaks in one of his letters to Alas of the novel he is writing but tantalizingly refrains from giving its title: "Yo estoy empezando ... una [novela] que sera algo larga y que se publicara dentro de dos afios. Se titula ... Callate boca, que aun no es tiempo" (qtd. in S. Miller, Mundo 135). This accords very well with the dates given in Beta, the final manuscript version. From this text, where Gald6s regularly indicated the date he began and finished each part of the manuscript and occasionally added dates in the middle of a chapter,5 we glean the following information about dates of composition and overall structure:6 I, p. 1: "9 Dic. 85/25 Feb 86" (I: 97)7 I, p. 189 (200 deleted): "15 de marzo 86" (I: 195) I, p. 289: "25 de marzo 86" (beginning of chapter 6; I: 238); discarded p. 305 (back of 290)8 also has this date. I, p. 477 (500 deleted): "11 Feb.o" (I: 317) I, p. 800: "Madrid Diciembre 1885"; "Diciembre" deleted and replaced by "Enero," "1885" corrected to "1886." "Fin del tomo 1Q" is written and deleted twice and replaced by "Fin de la Primera Parte" (I: 444) II, p. 1: "3 de Mayo 86"9 (II: 447) II, p. 371: "3 Junio 86" (II: 572) II, p. 580: "13 de Oct 86" (II: 643-44) II, p...

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