19th-Century Spanish Literature: Realism and Romanticism

Posted on Feb 22, 2025 in Latin

Realism and Naturalism in 19th-Century Spain

Realism. Features: Analysis and classification of reality, preference for the novel, contextualizing contemporary objectivity, social criticism.

A) Narrative. Evolution:

  • Prereality: Ferran Caballero (The Seagull), Pedro E. de Alarcón (The Three-Cornered Hat).
  • Realism. Features: Likelihood, universality, social issues, time frame, space frame, objective narration.

Authors:

  • Traditionalists: Pereda (Peñas Arriba), Palacio Valdés (The Lost Village), Father Coloma (Little Things).
  • Progressive: Pérez Galdós: Episodios Nacionales, novels (Gloria, Marianela), contemporary novels (Tormento, Fortunata y Jacinta); spiritualist novels (Nazarín, Misericordia), theater (Electra).
  • Leopoldo Alas Clarín: novels (La Regenta, Su Único Hijo), novella (Doña Berta); tales (Adiós Cordera, Pipá), articles (Solos de Clarín).
  • Juan Valera.

Naturalism. Features: Themes (poverty, alcoholism, corruption, deadly diseases), environment (pessimistic), some social and biological experimentation on the characters; Socialism (class struggle).

Authors:

  • Novel: Emilia Pardo Bazán (La Cuestión Palpitante, Los Pazos de Ulloa), Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (La Barraca, Cañas y Barro).
  • Drama: High comedy: Ventura de la Vega; Melodrama: Echegaray, Social Drama: Joaquín Dicenta.
  • Poetry: Prosaic: Campoamor; Rhetorical: Núñez de Arce.

Brown brings realism to Bazán.

Romanticism in 19th-Century Spain

Features:

  1. Liberty
  2. Subjectivity
  3. Idealism
  4. Nationalism
  5. Past
  6. Nature
  7. Breaking with the everyday
  8. Dynamism

Topics:

  • Past history.
  • Feelings: Love (melancholy), passion (suicide).
  • Life and death: existential conflict, liberation.
  • Destination.
  • Social conflicts.

Literary Genres:

a) Poetry:

  • Lyrical: 1st half – patriotic themes, 2nd half – intimate topics.
  • Narrative: Long narrative poem (historical, symbolic, or philosophical poem); short narrative poem (romance, legend).

Authors:

  • José Espronceda: Works of social protest, of lost youth and vital heartbreak, political songs, works of philosophy (The Student of Salamanca).
  • Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer: Works in prose, verse plays.
  • Rosalía de Castro: Works in Castilian (On the Banks of the Sar), works in Galician (Follas Novas, Cantares Gallegos).

b) Prose:

  • Historical novels: Liberal or moderate.
  • Costumbrismo: Pure and political satirist.
  • Newspaper article.

Authors:

  • Traditionalists: Ramón Mesonero Romanos (Escenas Matritenses), Serafín Estébanez Calderón (Escenas Andaluzas).
  • Mariano José de Larra: Novel: El Doncel de Don Enrique el Doliente; Theater: Macías; Articles: Costumbrismo, political, literary.

c) Theater:

Features: No change in events, freedom of creation, close language, scenery, breaking the 3 rules, main characters (hero, antihero, lady), secondary characters (marginal).

Topics: Idealized love, doom, revenge, supernatural world.

Authors: Ángel de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas (Don Álvaro), José Zorrilla (Don Juan Tenorio).

There is a break in the 19th century with liberals, who bring nationalism, as in Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Galicia. This constant romanticism goes against rationalism, with freedom and exalted feelings. It evokes nature as an ideal; it appears in Germany, with the school of *Sturm und Drang* (Storm and Passion), which advocates the breaking of all rules and exalted feelings.