Nada

Nada was published at a time when the Francoist State was actively working to suppress Catalan culture, and books were screened by censors for subversive political elements. Though Nada ultimately passed through Franco’s censors, critics such as Mario Vargas Llosa have remarked that “politics weighs on the entire story like an ominous silence” (v). How does this novel suggest the political atmosphere of Francoist Spain beneath the surface and between the lines of its narration?

Nada’s author Carmen Laforet shares many biographical experiences with the novel’s narrator, Andrea. Identify at least three commonalities Laforet and Andrea share, and analyze their significance within the story, including ways this novel could be a witness’s account of post-Civil War Spain.

Many critics have suggested that the harsh Catholic value system of Aunt Angustias is a narrative stand-in for the restrictions of Francoist Spain. Select at least three scenes from the novel where Angustias asserts her oppressive authority over the household, and analyze what these scenes might suggest about Laforet’s experiences under Franco’s rule.