Book excerpt: A study of literary Naturalism in Spain (1860-1890). This book explores the polemic surrounding the introduction of literary Naturalism in Spain (1860-1890), during which traditional Spanish institutions and traditional forms of authority were displaced by a variety of forces that competed for authoritative status. Of the philosophical, theological, aesthetic, political and social factors which thus came together in a unique confluence of discourses and voices, the author stresses particularly the politicalfactors and the intrusion of the female speaker in late nineteenth-century society. MARY LEE BRETZ is a Professor of Spanish at Rutgers State University, New Jersey.