El anticlericalismo como un valor posmoderno en La piel del tambor de Arturo Perez-Reverte

The purpose of this study is to examine the anticlerical aspects of Arturo Prez-Revertes La piel del tambor, and how such features correspond to the values of postmodern Spanish literature. We begin our analysis by noting the Churchs connection to modernity and how Prez-Reverte exposes this bond through his use of a small baroque church, Nuestra Seora de las Lgrimas. Next, we consider the corporate nature of the Churchs esteemed hierarchy, as well as the seedy underbelly of the organizations more private transactions. The majority of this study explores the enigmatic, and at times contradictory, existence of three members of various clerical orders. The study concludes with an analysis of the problematic ending of the novel, in which the reader is left in a profound state of disillusionment. These elements combine to create a work that is markedly postmodern in its criticism of both the Catholic Church and the Vatican.