La selección cuidadosa de los textos irá acompañada de ciertas innovaciones en la edición que tiendan a darle mayor eficacia práctica. Cada texto llevará una breve introducción escrita en español claro, puro y sencillo, destinada a ser leída en las clases por los alumnos mismos como parte del texto. Los profesores comprenderán la importancia que tiene preparar al alumno para la inteligencia de un texto y un autor que forman parte de las realidades actuales de los países cuya vida se pretende dar a conocer. El Sr. Onís, director de la serie, escribirá para ella dichas introducciones.

Las notas tendrán un carácter práctico; se pretenderá en ellas no sólo resolver las dificultades gramaticales y de significación, sino dar a conocer el valor que, respecto al uso de la lengua comúnmente hablada, tiene la lengua literaria empleada en el texto. Muchas de las obras irán acompañadas de ejercicios adecuados al grado de enseñanza a que la obra se considere destinada. En todo caso la obra irá acompañada de un vocabulario en el que se explicará suficientemente la significación y el valor usual del caudal lexicográfico, el cual, por su modernidad, ofrece muchas voces comunes que aun no han sido recogidas por los diccionarios.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

The text of this edition is taken from Benavente's Teatro, Librería de los Sucesores de Hernando, Madrid; Sin querer comes from vol. 4, 2d ed., 1913; De pequeñas causas... from vol. 18, 1909; Los intereses creados from vol. 16, 4th ed., 1914. A few obvious misprints are corrected; accentuation is made to conform to the regulations in the 1914 edition of the Spanish Academy Dictionary; punctuation is unchanged. The text proper is complete except for two slight omissions from De pequeñas causas..., both of which are mentioned in the notes. Los intereses creados is chosen as one of the finest of Benavente's plays, and the one best suited to class use; the two shorter pieces are included to give an idea of the author's more normal manner. Although De pequeñas causas... was produced on the stage after Los intereses creados, it precedes it in this edition in order that the long play may stand at the end of the volume.

It is believed that these plays can be read to greatest advantage after students have had one year of Spanish. The Notes and Vocabulary have been prepared with that in mind, as much material as possible being placed in the Vocabulary rather than in the Notes. However, in the present dearth of good elementary texts, the book might be used toward the end of the first year; it is hoped that the vocabulary is adequate for such a purpose. The introduction aims to give as complete an account as space permits, of Benavente's dramatic career. Therefore, non-dramatic works, such as De sobremesa, are treated in much more summary fashion than they deserve.

The editor wishes to express his thanks to the author, Sr. D. Jacinto Benavente, for kind permission to edit these plays; to his father for careful reading and correction of introduction, notes and vocabulary; to Professor John D. Fitz-Gerald, and Dr. Homero Serís, of the University of Illinois, and to Mr. José G. García, of New York City, founder of the newspaper Las Novedades, for valuable suggestions on difficult points. Dean Roscoe Pound, of the Law School of Harvard University, kindly furnished suggestions as to the probable interpretation of Emiliano and Triberiano.

INTRODUCTION

Benavente's Life.—Jacinto Benavente y Martínez or Jacinto Benavente, as he is commonly known, was born in Madrid on August 12th, 1866. He attended school in his native city, studied law at the University there, and finally abandoned his thought of a legal career in order to devote himself to dramatic literature. Much intercourse with varied types of people has supplied him with the knowledge of human nature evident in his dramatic productions. Although he has traveled to a considerable extent, Madrid has been the center of nearly all his literary activity, and it is impossible to identify him with any other place. The principal events of his life have been associated with the theater, and are best reviewed in connection with the study of his dramatic career.