19th and Early 20th Century Spanish Literary Movements
Romanticism: 19th Century Cultural Movement
Romanticism, a cultural movement characteristic of the first half of the 19th century, is the result of the profound crisis of a rapidly changing world.
Features of Romanticism
- Irrationalism
- Subjectivism
- Idealism
- Individualism
- Creative genius
- Betrayal
- Escape
- Solitude
- Dynamic nature
- New sensitivity
Realism: 19th Century Literary Movement
Realism is the cultural movement characteristic of 19th-century bourgeois society, which no longer favored fantasy and romantic idealism.
Main Features of Realism
- Observation and accurate description of reality
- Location of events in familiar settings
- Social and political criticism
- Simple and sober style
- Predilection for the novel
- Individual or collective actors
- Omniscient narrator
- Didacticism
- Linear structure
- Detailed descriptions
- Use of colloquial language
Naturalism: Late 19th Century Literary Trend
Naturalism is a literary trend that evolved during the last third of the 19th century, mainly in France. It was defended by the novelist Émile Zola, who aimed for literature to become like European Natural Science, another science whose object of study was the social environment.
Benito Pérez Galdós: A Literary Giant
Benito Pérez Galdós wrote numerous novels that can be classified into the following groups:
First Novels
Almost all of Galdós’s first novels are thesis novels that do not hide their sympathy for liberal Spain: The Golden Fountain, Doña Perfecta, Marianela, and The Family of León Roch.
Contemporary Spanish Novels
These novels begin with La Desheredada. Some novels from this period are El Amigo Manso, La de Bringas, Fortunata y Jacinta, and Miau. His most ambitious work is Fortunata y Jacinta, a long novel that portrays the social life of Madrid at the time. This book is considered Galdós’s best, with its meticulous portrayal of environments and types, masterful use of dialogues, etc.
Latest Novels
Galdós’s interest in seeking new avenues of expression is reflected in his novels since 1889. From this period are La Incógnita, Realidad, Ángel Guerra, Tristana, Misericordia, and El Caballero Encantado.
National Episodes
This is a collection of forty-six novels arranged in five series of ten episodes each, except the last, which remained unfinished with only six.
Other Notable Novelists of the Period
- Fernán Caballero: The Seagull and The Alvareda Family
- Pedro Antonio de Alarcón: The Three-Cornered Hat
- Juan Valera: Pepita Jiménez and Doña Luz
- José María de Pereda: Sotileza, Peñas Arriba
- Emilia Pardo Bazán: The Tribune, Los Pazos de Ulloa, and Mother Nature
Modernism and the Generation of ’98
At the beginning of the century, many young writers were confronted with earlier literature. These youths became known as Modernists. Most of the Modernists and the members of the Generation of ’98 (noventayochistas) have in common their rebellious attitude against bourgeois values.
Ramón del Valle-Inclán: A Literary Innovator
Ramón del Valle-Inclán was born in 1866 in Villanueva de Arosa. He traveled to America and was soon known in Madrid as one of the chief proponents of Modernism.
Valle-Inclán wrote an extensive and varied body of work in which four periods can be distinguished:
Decline Stage (until 1906)
Influenced by modernist decadence. Sonatas are the most remarkable works of this first period.
Primitivism Stage (1907-1909)
In just five years, he wrote five important works: the first two Comedias Bárbaras and the trilogy of novels The Carlist War.
Farces and Artful Works Stage (1910-1920)
During the second decade, he wrote several books, including Voces de Gesta, La Marquesa Rosalinda, Farsa Infantil de la Cabeza del Dragón, etc.
Esperpento Stage (from 1920)
In 1920, he published Luces de Bohemia, a masterpiece in contemporary Spanish theater and the first of the esperpentos.