Post-Civil War Spanish Novel: From Existentialism to Social Realism

Posted on Sep 18, 2024 in Latin

Post-Civil War Spanish Novel

1. Novel After 1936

After the Civil War, a break with the narrative of the Novecentismo generation and the rise of New Realism emerges in the late 1920s.

Postwar Novel Developments:

  1. Propaganda Novel: Represented by authors like Torrente Ballester.
  2. The 1940s: Existentialist Novels: This period features themes of loneliness, inadequacy, frustration, and death. Novels depict individuals struggling against their destinies, often featuring marginalized and rebellious characters reflecting the unrest of the time. Stories typically unfold in urban environments, with a focus on the present moment.

Three authors and their novels exemplify this trend:

  • The Family of Pascual Duarte by Camilo José Cela
  • Nothing by Carmen Laforet
  • Shadow of the Long Cypress Trees by Miguel Delibes
a) Camilo José Cela:

Cela’s work is characterized by an alarmist worldview and existential pessimism inherited from Pío Baroja. His career can be divided into three stages:

  1. Evolution from realism to tremendismo: The Family of Pascual Duarte
  2. Social realism: The Hive
  3. Experimentalism: Office of Darkness
b) Miguel Delibes:

Delibes is known for his humanistic perspective. He analyzes marginalized rural society (Castile) and critiques the urban bourgeoisie. His narrative work shows an evolution:

  1. Existential Novel: The Shadow of the Long Cypress Trees
  2. Novel with Greater Social Burden: Focuses on two environments: rural realism (Rats) and urban realism (Red Leaf)
  3. Formally Novel Novel: Five Hours with Mario
c) Carmen Laforet:

Nada is a novel with an autobiographical background.

d) Torrente Ballester:

Ballester is difficult to classify. His work includes:

  1. Novel about the War: Javier Mariño
  2. Traditional Realistic Novel: The Joys and Shadows
  3. Experimentalism: La Saga/Fuga de J.B. (mixes structural renewal with fantasy, humor, and parody)
  4. Humor and Literary Game: Filomena, Despite Myself
e) Other Trends:

Other trends of the late 1940s include traditional realism, fantastic fiction, and humor.

3. The 1950s: The Novel of Social Realism

Similar to social poetry, this period is characterized by ethical commitment, critical testimony, and social denunciation. Ideologically, it leans towards the left.

Objective Narrators: These narrators aim to reflect the external behavior and words of the characters.

Critical Narrators: These narrators project their ideology onto the characters.

  • Subjects: Shift from individual to collective focus, including the hardships of rural life, the world of work, and urban poverty.
  • Structure: Linear structure with simple dialogue. Narrated time is reduced to story time. Short sentences and language techniques derived from cinema are common. Objectivism and behaviorist methods are influential. Collective characters and representative dialogue are preferred, featuring colloquial language.

Objective Narrators:

a) Jesús Fernández Santos:

Strengthens social realism with The Brave, which denounces the continued misery of the postwar period. Later, he writes more intimate novels and historical fiction (Extramural).

b) Ignacio Aldecoa:

Novelist and short story writer known for the poetic beauty of his prose. The Light and Blood. His work provides insights into the Gypsy world, bullfighting, the Civil Guard, and life on the road.

c) Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio:

Author of three important novels:

  • Industries and Wanderings of Alflanhui: A precedent for magical realism, mixing fantasy and everyday reality with a structure similar to picaresque novels.
  • El Jarama: A landmark of social realism, reflecting the lack of illusion and meaninglessness in the everyday lives of young workers on a Sunday outing. The narrative proceeds through dialogue, reproducing the characters’ speech literally.
  • The Will of Yarfoz: A fantastic novel.
d) Carmen Martín Gaite:

Addresses the theme of lack of communication. Her work Between the Sheets is a blend of autobiography, memory, and conscious dream.

Critical Realists:

a) Juan Goytisolo:

Important social realist novelist with international recognition. Three stages:

  1. Realism and social commitment: Duel at the Paradise
  2. Committed literature and experimentalism: Marks of Identity (Makbara)
  3. Rupture with the novel as a genre, identifying with Islamic culture and criticizing Western values.
b) Ana María Matute:

Alternates between critical realism with social intention and lyrical realism, based on sensory effects and poetic language. Her best work is First Memory, a love story set during the war.

c) Juan Marsé:

Begins his career with novels belonging to critical social realism, such as Encerrados con un solo juguete. Later, he renews his narrative schema.