The social and aesthetic disagreement between Ortega and Baroja

Abstract

Ortega was engaged in Baroja´s literature in several occasions. Soon after the publication (1925) of Ideas about the Novel (1925), Baroja wrote a text as answer in then he rebelled against the philosopher´s pretensions of pointing the course that this sort of literature could take. In this way the discrepances between both autors went beyond the literature of the basque writer´s literature. Referring to aesthetics theory, they discussed about literature and liteary criticism. Concerning to the Spanish reality they wondered about the possibilities to contribute to its modernization. This essay tries to explain the reproaches that Ortega directed to Baroja from the philosopher’s aesthetic.