Evolution of Spanish Literature in the 1800s
Nineteenth-Century Spain
The nineteenth century in Spain began with the War of Independence (1808-1814) and ended with the loss of its overseas colonies in 1898. The first half of the century saw the reigns of Ferdinand VII (1814-1833) and Isabel II (1833-1868).
Romanticism
Romanticism had its roots in the previous century in Germany, with writers like Goethe (1749-1832) and Schiller (1759-1805). Reason was replaced by the romantic spirit, emphasizing freedom and sentiment. Key figures include Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Rosalía de Castro.
Characteristics of Romanticism
- Defense of Freedom: Freedom is central to the lives and works of Romantic authors.
- Evasion of Reality: Romantic writers often disliked the reality in which they lived.
- Subjectivism: Authors expressed their own feelings of love, anguish, and dissatisfaction, often projecting these feelings onto nature.
- Spain as a Literary Theme: European writers found in Spain ideals they admired.
Romantic Poetry
Romantic poetry is often intimate and loving, but it can also be a weapon of rebellion against societal norms. Marginalized characters (those sentenced to death, beggars, etc.) frequently appear, expressing the writer’s dissatisfaction.
José de Espronceda (1808-1842)
Espronceda wrote a novel, Sancho Saldaña or the Castilian from Cuéllar, and a play, Blanche of Bourbon, but he is primarily known as a poet.
Rosalía de Castro (1837-1885)
Rosalía de Castro, along with Bécquer, represents late Romanticism. Some of her work is in Castilian (Cantares gallegos or On the Banks of the Sar), while Follas novas is written in Galician, expressing feelings of grief and gloom.
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (1836-1870)
Bécquer is a Romantic writer who published during the rise of Realism. His poetry was inspired by English and German Romanticism, especially Heine. His poetry is more intimate than that of other Romantic poets. In prose, he wrote Legends, a series of twenty-eight stories with Romantic themes: nocturnal landscapes, mysterious events, exotic settings (e.g., Maese Pérez the Organist, The Moonlight Ray, The Rose of Passion). His Letters from My Cell were written from the Veruela Monastery during an illness. Gustavo Adolfo Domínguez Bastida was born in Seville in 1836. Orphaned, he was raised by his godmother. From a family of artists, he initially pursued the arts but soon turned to literature.
Characteristics of Realism
Realist authors, while also critical of society, aimed to represent it as it was. Novels, stories, and plays explored diverse themes, often set in the homes of the wealthy bourgeoisie or the urban underworld. Family life and convent life were recurring subjects. Literary techniques, especially narrative, focused on detailed descriptions of real places familiar to readers.
Characteristics of Naturalism
- Analysis of Reality: Especially the rawest, most problematic, and unpleasant aspects.
- Presentation of the Origin of Problems: Often stemming from:
- Negative physical and psychological heritage (family flaws: madness, inherited deformities).
- Adverse environments: poverty, ignorance, working-class neighborhoods, the new urban proletariat, harsh labor (mining, farming, factory work).
- Prescription of Remedies: Living in healthy environments, education, humane working conditions, care.
Early demonstrations of realistic literature included Costumbrismo. The first realistic novel published in Spain in the nineteenth century was The Seagull (1849). Fernán Caballero’s work features costumbrismo, which began during the Romantic period and continued into Realism, influencing authors like José M. de Pereda, Armando Palacio Valdés, and Vicente Blasco Ibáñez.
The Great Novelists of Realism
Authors like Alarcón, Pereda, and Father Coloma continued the early Realist tradition of Cecilia Böhl de Faber, defending Catholic values. In contrast, Galdós, Clarín, and Blasco Ibáñez supported liberal thought. Other writers, like James and Emilia Pardo Bazán, were less overtly ideological.
Juan Valera (1826-1905)
Juan Valera was a diplomat (representing Spain in Italy, Russia, Brazil, and the United States) who turned to novel writing later in life. His notable work is Pepita Jiménez. Female characters are central to his best novels, including Luz and Juanita.
Pedro Antonio de Alarcón (1833-1891)
Alarcón’s early work was Romantic, including his first novel, The End of Norma, and travel books like La Alpujarra, a vivid description of the Granada region. His main contribution to Realism lies in his short novels: Captain Poison, where an old soldier is softened by a woman’s kindness, and The Three-Cornered Hat.
José María de Pereda (1833-1916)
Pereda’s work spans a broad range. Clarin and Perez are doctrinal representatives of his novels, such as The Untamed Bull, Don Gonzalo González de la Gonzalera, and Like Father, Like Son. His most characteristic novels are set in his home region, celebrating Cantabrian life and landscapes (e.g., Sotileza, The Epic of the Sea, Summer Clouds, Vision of the City of Santander, and Peñas Arriba).
Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920)
Galdós is the most prolific and well-known Spanish Realist writer. He wrote several series of novels: the Episodios Nacionales, including titles like Trafalgar, Bailén, Zaragoza, Girona (set during the War of Independence), King Joseph’s Baggage, The Hundred Thousand Sons of St. Louis (set during the reign of Ferdinand VII), and Zumalacárregui, The Maestrazgo Campaign (on the Carlist Wars). His other novels can be categorized into periods:
- First Period: Doña Perfecta, Gloria, and Leon Roch’s Family.
- Contemporary Spanish Novels: The Disinherited, Torment, La de Bringas, Miau (set in Madrid).
- Naturalism: Fortunata and Jacinta, a story of two married couples from different social classes.
- Spiritualist Period: Tristana, Nazarín, and Mercy (set in the Madrid underworld).
- Fantasy or Mythology Phase: His last two novels, The Gentleman Enchanted and The Reason of Unreason.
Emilia Pardo Bazán (1852-1921)
Emilia Pardo Bazán was a novelist and critic who faced societal rejection for challenging gender norms. She was denied a seat in the Royal Spanish Academy because of her gender. Her notable works include The House of Ulloa and Mother Nature, a two-part novel depicting the hardships of Galician rural life under a brutal aristocracy. The Tribune is considered the first Spanish Naturalist novel, focusing on the urban proletariat.
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (1867-1928)
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, sometimes called the Spanish Zola, began his career with novels and stories set in Valencia: Reeds and Mud, Rice and Tartan, and The Cabin. He gained international fame, and some of his works, including Blood and Sand (about bullfighting) and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, were adapted into Hollywood films.