Misoginia y exculpación: el canto a Teresa

Abstract

In Espronceda's autobiographical poem, certain circumstances of his adulterous love with Teresa Mancha de Bayo are expressed in such a subtle, poetic form, that it is necessary to collate them with history to clarify them. The Canto is the public version of this love affair, which led to the moral corruption and death of Teresa, and in it Espronceda converts his lover into the sole culprit, although this role belonged entirely to him. In his conscience the poet felt guilty, but because of the social norms of the times he could not say so. He compares his role with that of Adam and that of Teresa with that of Eve. For its concept of woman there is no more odious Romantic poem, but for its nostalgia, its images, and its versification there is none more beautiful. Espronceda resorts to the meter of learned epic poetry to symbolize his Romantic struggle with his amorous sorrows.