Narrative Genres in Spanish Literature After the Civil War
The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) marked a significant shift in the country’s literary landscape. The narrative genre, previously cultivated by writers of the Generation of ’98, the “Novecento,” and some avant-garde movements, was further developed by authors in the war’s aftermath. These writers explored themes such as the war itself from both sides, as well as the financial and moral state of Spain in the post-war period. Some authors fled the country and contributed to the “narrative of exile,” while others remained in Spain, producing the “post-war narrative.”
1. Existentialist Novels of the 1940s
Immediately following the Civil War, the narrative focused on the war’s impact and its implications. It reflected the disillusionment caused by the difficult post-war life and explored uncertainty as a fundamental problem of human destiny.
The bitter reflection of everyday life became a common theme in post-war novels, often approached from an existentialist perspective. Major themes included loneliness, inadequacy, frustration, and death. The novels frequently featured marginalized, rootless, and distressed characters, reflecting the anxieties of the time. This period’s literature was characterized by dark and somber tones, as censorship limited any attempts at direct reporting or testimony.
Major authors of this period include Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, Camilo José Cela (The Family of Pascual Duarte), Carmen Laforet (Nada, winner of the first Nadal Prize in 1945), and Miguel Delibes (The Shadow of the Cypress is Long, Nadal Prize in 1948).
Camilo José Cela’s The Family of Pascual Duarte marked the beginning of a trend towards portraying the harsh realities of life. While not always intending to be completely raw, these novels presented a stark and unforgiving world, a Spain far removed from the idealized depictions in the works of the “victors.”
2. Social Realism in the 1950s
The existentialism of the early post-war novels evolved into a literature of social protest in the 1950s. This social realism branched into two trends: “objectivism” (novels without a narrator, articulated through dialogues), exemplified by works like El Jarama (1955) by Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio, and “critical realism,” with works like The Hive (1951) by Camilo José Cela.
The end of Spain’s international isolation and the beginning of industrialization in the 1950s brought about political and social changes that influenced literature. Novelists moved away from existential pessimism and direct allusions to the Civil War, instead focusing on the realities of a slowly evolving society.
2.1 The Novel in the Fifties
From 1950 onwards, authors embraced a social commitment. The novel’s purpose was to reflect the reality of the moment, with realism prevailing throughout the decade. The focus shifted from individual to collective concerns, from personal problems to social issues. Society was no longer merely a backdrop but became the subject of the narrative itself.
Social spheres frequently depicted included rural society (The Trench by Alfonso Grosso), urban society (The Hive by Cela), the world of work (El Jarama by Sánchez Ferlosio), and the bourgeois world (Between Curtains by Carmen Martín Gaite, who focused on the idle and passive).
While content took precedence over form, several developments in narrative technique emerged during this period:
- The author became a mere observer and transmitter of reality, employing a cinematic technique: presenting what is seen and heard without commentary.
- The protagonist became a collective character; there was no single main character. Characters were viewed externally, without delving into their psychology.
- Dialogues gained importance over action, revealing characters and driving the plot. Colloquial language was used, reflecting the social group of the speakers.
- The structure was simple: a linear narrative with few descriptions and action occurring within a short timeframe.
Cela’s The Hive served as a model for authors of this new trend, who shared these common characteristics.
3. The Experimental Novel of the 1960s
Launched with the publication of Time of Silence (1962) by Luis Martín-Santos, which employed second-person narration and individualized characters, this novel marked a departure from previous narratives. Writers began to prioritize narrative techniques, leading to the rise of the experimental novel. They turned to introspection within the consciousness of narrators and revisited existential themes. However, the most significant changes occurred in the formal aspects of the novel, as the subject matter did not stray too far from the previous trend.
This period of formal experimentation was characterized by:
- Plots of little importance, except for anecdotes.
- Reduced number of characters, except for the hero, whose importance was highlighted through interior monologue. Dialogue was rare, replaced by free indirect style and, above all, interior monologue.
- Complex structure, with multiple interwoven storylines, open endings, etc.
- Varied treatment of the narrator: either omniscient, objective, first-person, or second-person, and multiple points of view.
- Complicated style, with altered syntax, slang, and typographical games.
- Introduction of characters with identity crises seeking the reasons for their existential angst.
- Criticism of the preceding narrative period, which shaped the characters’ experiences.
- Difficult structure. Chapters were eliminated and replaced by sequences.
- Use of multiple points of view, with the story told from the perspectives of different characters.
- Frequent use of counterpoint, in which various storylines intersected, providing the reader with a fragmented view of events. The kaleidoscopic technique was used to narrate numerous stories simultaneously.
- Disruption of linear time. Jumps from past to future were common. The flashback technique, which involved returning to an earlier time, was frequently employed.
- Space was usually indefinite.
- Renewal of literary language. Neologisms, foreign words, learned terms, and colloquialisms were introduced, and different levels of language were mixed.
Several factors influenced the development of this new narrative:
- The influence of foreign innovators.
- The success of the Latin American novel.
- The increasing power of publishers, which facilitated the wider dissemination of published works.
Significant authors of this period include Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, Juan Benet, Juan Marsé, and Luis Goytisolo. In addition to Martín-Santos, Juan Marsé with Last Evenings with Teresa (1966) and If You Tell Me That I Fell (1973), Juan Benet with Return to Región (1968), and even Carmen Martín Gaite’s Five Hours with Mario (1966) can be included within this trend.