Historical Novels and Costumbrismo: Spanish Literary Traditions
Narrative: The genre is not romantic but desarrollo. Three subgenres include:
- Historical Novels: Novels inspired by historical and legendary themes, preferably from the past, especially the development in Europe more than in Spain. A great historical novel is Ivanhoe by Walter Scott, inspired by a typical medieval gentleman. The protagonist undertakes a series of adventures: defending the weak (like Robin Hood), seeking justice, and pursuing a lady whom he eventually marries. This greatly influences the historical novel narrative.
Key Figures in Historical Novels
- French writers: Victor Hugo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Alexandre Dumas (The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo)
- Spanish writers: Lord of Bembibre by Enrique Gil y Carrasco, and The Youth of Henry the Valiant.
The historical novel is set in the past and uses historical characters, data, and real places.
Costumbrismo: Reflecting Contemporary Life
Costumbrismo: Short stories written in prose that reflect lifestyles, the environment, customs, and contemporary author types. They aim to recover a genuine national identity. Costumbrismo was the closest Romanticism got to reality, featuring brief prose narratives.
Key Figures in Costumbrismo
- Serafín Estévez Calderón (Andalusian Scenes)
- Ramón de Mesonero Romanos (Scenes Matritenses)
Many cuadros de costumbres (customs boxes) were collected in books and published in periodicals. Many were satirical and ironic, criticizing the vices and defects of the Spanish people. The best example is Mariano José de Larra (1809-1837), born in Madrid and educated in France. Formed in the ideas of French classicism and the Enlightenment, he returned to Spain to continue his studies, which he never finished. He began writing brochures and articles on customs. His marriage was a failure, and a passionate love affair with a married woman led to a depressive state and suicide. He collaborated in various periodicals, signing with pseudonyms: The Anonymous Coward, The Satirical Goblin, Andrés Niporesas, and, most famously, Figaro. His most important items aim not only to show a custom but also to criticize it to eliminate anything impeding progress and modernization of Spanish society.
Characteristics of Costumbrismo
- Characters represent much of the social scale.
- The setting is often Madrid.
Style of Costumbrismo
- Structure: Articles are divided into three parts with thorough descriptions of people and environments, using precision and rich expression.
- Irony is continuously employed.
Historical Novel (Walter Scott):
- Works: Quentin Durward, The Talisman
- Topics: Centered on medieval times.
- Characters: Protagonists are the hero and heroine, part of the medieval ideal of beauty. Marginalized characters seek freedom from tyranny.
- Author’s Intention: To call the attention of contemporary readers to a bygone era.