Key Spanish Authors: Jovellanos, Bécquer, Galdós
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos (18th Century)
Born in Gijón, Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos studied fine arts and history. His reformist ideas caused him significant problems. His work includes poetry, drama, and essays; his non-fiction texts were primarily aimed at the ruling classes. His subjects were often political and historical, expressing deep concern for societal problems and proposing reform measures. He was a reformer focused on encouraging the populace. His style is simple and clear, using technical language when necessary.
Key Works and Ideas
- Memorial sobre espectáculos y diversiones públicas: Defends free entertainment for the people and proposed a school for actors.
- Memoria sobre la educación pública: Argues that culture should not be a privilege and education must be free.
- Informe sobre la Ley Agraria: Discusses legislation to create a framework for agricultural freedom. He identified the concentration of property in the hands of the nobility and the church as the cause of rural disadvantage.
- Memoria del Castillo de Bellver: A historical and artistic study of the Mallorcan monument where he was imprisoned.
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (Romanticism)
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer’s poetry is deep, a perfect expression of his thoughts, using short, simple verses.
Rimas (Rhymes)
A collection of 79 short poems with a popular tone, written in varied meters using assonance and rhyme. The main theme is love, though often melancholic. The poems were later ordered thematically to depict the progression of a love story from happiness to disappointment:
- Poetry and creative writing
- Happy love
- Disappointment in love
- Pain, anguish, and death
Leyendas (Legends)
A set of 18 prose stories based on folk traditions encountered during his travels in Spain, along with some original inventions. These stories delve into a mysterious, supernatural world, often exploring themes of love and the afterlife.
Benito Pérez Galdós (Realism)
Benito Pérez Galdós’s works, often set in Madrid, present a vision of Spanish society. His gaze focuses attentively on social spheres driven by the aspiration for wealth, reflecting the human condition itself. Galdós employs a perspective that can be stern and sarcastic, yet also tender and humanistic, constantly evolving his style. He wrote approximately 32 novels (outside the Episodios), 46 Episodios Nacionales (National Episodes), and 24 plays. Galdós used plain and simple language, creating agile prose. He was a master creator of characters and worlds.
Novelistic Production Stages
Thesis Novels
These works often contrast conservative and liberal ideologies. Galdós never hid his sympathy for liberal Spain. Examples include La Fontana de Oro and Gloria. Characters are often young, and themes revolve around the ‘Two Spains’.
Second Period Novels
This marked a shift away from overt ideological discourse towards depicting contemporary reality more directly. Galdós often set these novels within specific times and places for greater realism. An example is La desheredada.
Contemporary Novels
Works like Fortunata y Jacinta (written 1886–1887) represent the pinnacle of Spanish Realism, depicting the complexities of Spanish life and contrasting the lives of the rich and poor. Miau features Ramón Villaamil, a bureaucrat dismissed just before retirement, losing his rights and finding freedom only in death.
Spiritualist Period
This includes the Torquemada series, featuring a character of humble origin from the moneylender class who becomes a banker and eventually marries a ruined aristocrat. Other works from this period include Ángel Guerra, Nazarín, and Misericordia.
Episodios Nacionales (National Episodes)
A monumental series of 46 historical novels recounting 19th-century Spanish history through the eyes of fictional characters affected by events. The series begins with Trafalgar.