19th Century Spanish Literature: Romanticism and Realism
Society and Culture
Spanish society in the 19th century was marked by the legacy of the French Revolution (1789) and the Industrial Revolution, both of which influenced social and political structures. The first half of the century, characterized by Romanticism, saw clashes between absolutism and liberalism, with the bourgeoisie gaining economic and political power, particularly during the Napoleonic era. The second half, marked by Realism and Naturalism, witnessed growing industrialization.
Aesthetics
Romanticism
Key Features:
- Individualism: Romantic rebels against anything that opposes their personal ego, rejecting limitations and expressing feelings of frustration and escapism.
- Defense of Freedom: Based on Romantic thought in social, political, or artistic spheres.
- Nature: Nature is seen as a reflection of the Romantic’s emotional state.
- Nationalism: Romantics valued the unique characteristics of their country.
Espronceda
Espronceda’s exalted, passionate poetry celebrated freedom with a vibrant and musical style. He wrote poetry, historical novels, and plays. His early work, like ‘Pelayo,’ shows his youthful influences. His later poetry, developed after his return to Madrid, includes personal compositions and poems about social outcasts (e.g., the beggar, the executioner). He also explored themes of lost youth and political and social ideals. His most important works include ‘Student of Salamanca’ and ‘The Devil’s World.’
Style: Espronceda’s style is generally grand and emphatic, with frequent use of violent imagery and contrasts. Metric changes give his poetry evocative power and musicality.
Late Romanticism
Late Romanticism saw a shift towards intimate lyricism, culminating in introspective and simple poetry.
Bécquer
Bécquer’s poetry opened doors to intimacy, purity, sensitivity, and authenticity, moving away from the dramatic effects of earlier Romanticism. He was inspired by German Romantic lyricism and Andalusian folk songs.
Work: Bécquer is best known for his lyric poetry (Rimas) but also wrote prose, including the evocative ‘Legends.’ These stories, set in fantastical settings, express emotions through prose and intimate lyrics (e.g., ‘Mount of Souls’).
Rimas: Bécquer’s ‘Rimas’ are intense and emotional poems characterized by formal perfection achieved through poetic simplicity. This brief collection, published posthumously, features a variety of stanzas and assonant rhymes. The intimate and evocative poetry is born of feeling, blending immediate experience and memory with fantasy. His style is essential, natural, and concise, springing directly from the soul.
Romantic Prose
Historical Novel
The historical novel, often set in the Middle Ages, was popular in Spain. Notable examples include ‘The Lord of Bembibre.’
Legends
Bécquer’s ‘Legends’ represent the culmination of Romantic poetic prose.
Costumbrismo
Costumbrismo involved articles published in periodicals that described everyday life in a humorous tone. Larra is a key figure in this genre.
Larra
Larra holds an important place in Spanish literature due to his journal articles, written in a direct and engaging style. He also wrote historical novels and Romantic dramas. His articles can be classified as customs, political, and literary. His style, appropriate for journalism, remains effective and influential, making him a pioneer of contemporary Spanish prose.
Romantic Theater
Romantic theater was dominated by melodrama, aiming to move the audience. It featured freedom from classical standards and explored themes of love and freedom, often with tragic endings.
Realism
Key Features:
- Desire to reflect social reality: Realism emphasized accuracy and observation.
- Interest in the external world: The bourgeoisie and the novel became central subjects.
Naturalism
Naturalism, an intense form of Realism, incorporated a deterministic view of the world, applying methods of experimental science and depicting sordid environments.
Lyric Poetry
Ramón de Campoamor, known for his anti-romanticism, is a representative poet of this period.
Theater
López de Ayala and Manuel Tamayo y Baus cultivated high-society comedy, reflecting the era.
Narrative
The generation of novelists after 1868 experimented with new narrative forms, drawing on realist traditions and European realist novels. Many novelists, like Galdós and Pereda, reflected their ideologies in their works, with some showing liberal sympathies and others advocating conservative ideas. Spanish realist narrative often had a regionalist focus. Naturalism arrived with strong echoes in the work of Emilia Pardo Bazán. It can be difficult to distinguish between Realism and Naturalism in Spanish narrative.
Realist Novelists
Juan Valera
: The commander of Mendoza. Emilia Pardo Bazan: The mother and nature. Benito Perez Galdos: Climate of realism is lit. d spañola.Interes located somewhere on his work capacity to draw picture of contemporary society. Work => is very broad and covers almost all its narrative is distinguished generos.En initial stage (thesis novels and Nov contemporary) and phase (reflected spiritualism) national Episodes => 46 Nov, d national events are grouped and 5 series of 10 plays chronicling every conflict una.Constituyen k d spaña.Con sto history marked than for romantic historical novel narrates events of the recent past. 1st era novels=> thesis novels: Dona perfecta (1876), Glory (1877), the family of Leon Roch (1879) in k criticized intolerance and fanaticism. contemporary Spanish novels => so called k wrote 24 works between 1881 and 1889 . contemporanea.Abandona society described their ideology and are more imparcial.La Herderen (1881). Fortunata and Jacinta (1887). in 1890 writes novels with spiritual and moral issues. meaning work => describe Madrid society, of various kinds sociales.por Moreover, it values its vision of contemporary history span thanks to all the episodes. Roman, Korea and natur in PAIN: period of political tension and sociales.enfrentamientos between conservatives and liberals, spañol Romanticism was late, development brief and superficial ks constitutional system in years with liberal return d exiled x absolutismo.realismo arrived in 1868 and predominance narrativa.Nat little impact.