ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book examines the novels, which sainthood is significant, not so much as a theological concept or even as a source of supernatural power, but as a construction of identity. The four texts chosen for examination are La familia de Leon Roch, La Regenta, Nazarin and Dulce dueno. The texts demonstrate ambivalence towards this identity: while it may be understood as prestigious, sainthood can also carry negative connotations. By using conceptual tools from the work of Bourdieu, and in particular by developing notions of saintly capital and spiritual distinction, the book also examines sainthood as a key theme in the matrix of interactions portrayed in these four novels. It attempts to show the central importance of religious discourses in these novels. The book demonstrates that sainthood has no single meaning in the texts examined, nor in the culture of this period.
