Manuela Agnés Rausell, writer of the Renaixença: an approach to her Catalan poetry

Abstract

Manuela Agnés Rausell Soriano (1839–1918) belongs to the group of Valencian writers who participated in the movement to recover and recognise Catalan as a language of culture known as Renaixença. As an active member of Valencianism since the foundation of the cultural society Lo Rat Penat (1878), and as a frequent participant in the literary competition known as Jocs Florals, organised in Valencia, Rausell wrote poetry, works of fiction, plays, and essays in Valencian and Spanish. The subject of this study is her poetry in Catalan, which comprises twenty-five poems, written using an elevated and archaic linguistic model. The majority of the poems align with the Jocs Florals canon, as they address topics related to Valencian identity, Christian values, and a great interest in medieval history. Only one poem breaks away from this tendency and approaches literary costumbrismo, which, along with the trends set by Jocs Florals, prevailed in the Valencian sphere in the late 19th century. This paper introduces Manuela Agnés Rausell, taking into account her role in the cultural circles of Valencianism, and approaches her poetic contribution, observing the themes, techniques, and circumstances that surround each text, linking her poetry to the historical and cultural setting in which it was composed. Finally, the annex contains the transcription of the twenty-four poems, which had never been compiled until now.