19th Century Spanish Poetry and Theater: Realism and Naturalism
Poetry in the Second Half of the 19th Century
In the second half of the nineteenth century, subjectivism diminishes (except in the poetry of Bécquer and Rosalía). New theories of poetry and poetics are published, such as those of Campoamor.
Two trends emerge:
- Ramón de Campoamor’s Prose: His work, Humoradas, features short, conceptual poetry with didactic purposes.
- Gaspar Núñez de Arce’s Rhetoricity: His poetry is declamatory and bombastic, inspired by civic and political issues. His work Gritos de batalla (Battle Cries) stands out.
Theater in the Second Half of the 19th Century
A new realism emerges, reflecting the state of contemporary society. There are three main trends:
- High Comedy: Follows the tastes of the gentry (Benavente follows this model). Ventura de la Vega is a key figure.
- Neoromantic Drama or Melodrama: José de Echegaray is the most noted, with works like El loco Dios (The Fool God) and El Gran Galeoto. Verse drama maintains a rhetorical style.
- Social Drama: Features characters from non-bourgeois classes. Enrique Gaspar is a precursor with Las circunstancias. Joaquín Dicenta follows in his footsteps with Juan José and El señor feudal (The Feudal Lord).
Popular Theater
- The Farce: Recreates Madrid environments from the middle and lower classes.
- The Zarzuela or “Género Chico”: Introduces elements of manners, music, and folklore. Outstanding authors include Ricardo de la Vega (La verbena de la Paloma) and Ruperto Chapí (La Revoltosa).
Naturalism in the Late 19th Century
In the last decades of the nineteenth century, French Realism drifts towards a new trend: Naturalism. Its creator is Émile Zola, who laid out his theory in works like The Experimental Novel. Unlike the realist writer who merely observes reality, the naturalist is both an observer and experimenter.
Like a scientist, the naturalist experiments with their characters to see how they change their reactions according to changing circumstances, taking into account their particular inherited biological condition.
The topics covered are related to alcoholism, corruption, mental illness, inherited traits, and marginalization in all its forms. The environments depicted are miserable and sad, described with detailed, impressionistic accuracy. The characters are often alcoholics, psychopaths, or individuals with intellectual disabilities. This allows the author to demonstrate the influence of biology and social environment.
Technically, naturalistic authors follow the documentation and observation proclaimed by realism, but they are carried to the extreme and with maximum rigor. The writer’s attitude to reality must be impartial, thus exceeding romantic subjectivism.
The end of the novel is moral: the writer aims to improve society. The naturalistic novel gained traction in 1883 when Emilia Pardo Bazán published a series of articles on the subject under the title La cuestión palpitante. Works by Zola were read with success in Spain, and some authors like Galdós (La desheredada, Tormento, Fortunata y Jacinta), “Clarín” (La Regenta), and E. Pardo Bazán were influenced by Naturalism.
Key Figures in Spanish Naturalism
- Emilia Pardo Bazán: Her work is considered the most representative of Spanish Naturalism. She emphasizes the description of environments and characters in works like El Rostro, Los Pazos de Ulloa, and Madre Naturaleza.
- Vicente Blasco Ibáñez: His assignment to the movement is mainly due to the confrontation of social classes in his novels and the pressure of the environment on the characters. La barraca, Cañas y barro, and Arroz y tartana present rural and proletarian Valencia. Social criticism intensifies in La Catedral (anticlericalism).