Realism and Naturalism in 19th Century Literature
Realism and Naturalism
From Romanticism to Realism
European and American realist literature evolved from Romanticism by minimizing or eliminating its characteristic features. In countries like England, France, and Russia, where the realist novel emerged earlier, the proponents of this new wave were initially established Romantic writers. Examples include Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) and French novelists Stendhal (1783-1842) and Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), pioneers of realism in their respective literatures, all belonging to the Romantic generation. In countries like Spain, the transition from Romanticism to full Realism was slower, taking hold in the last third of the nineteenth century, specifically after the Revolution of 1868 and the dethronement of Isabel II, when the Spanish realist novel flourished.
Distinguishing Features of Realism
Several features distinguish realist literature from its Romantic predecessor:
- Limited Subjectivity: The author is no longer the center of the universe but an objective observer of life and situations.
- Restrained Sentimentality: Feelings are not absent but expressed with restraint and subjected to analysis, examining their psychological, social, and other roots.
- Grounded Imagination: Rejecting the fantastical, realist literature strives for an impression of reality, depicting believable events and avoiding the supernatural or otherworldly.
- Contemporary Settings: Authors focus on their surroundings, writing contemporary novels. While historical novels persist, they exhibit greater rigor in reconstructing the recent rather than distant past, aiming to explain the country’s current situation (e.g., Benito Pérez Galdós’s National Episodes).
- The Rise of the Novel: The realist novel becomes the genre par excellence, ideally suited to portraying the world in all its variety. Realism also sees the development of realist drama (notably by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen) and high comedy.
- Lyric Poetry in the Background: While lyric poetry continued to be written, the best poets maintained a Romantic approach or sought to transcend Romanticism’s unrealistic aspects (e.g., Symbolism).
Naturalism: A Logical Conclusion
Naturalism emerged as a current that attempted to take the principles of the realist novel to their logical conclusion. The primary proponent of Naturalism was French novelist Émile Zola (1840-1902), who outlined its theoretical framework in his essay The Experimental Novel (1880). Naturalism extended beyond literature; it represented a way of understanding human beings and a method for analyzing their behavior. Its key features include:
- Determinism: Everything in the universe, including human nature and behavior, can be explained by the laws of nature. Humans are not free; their actions are ultimately determined by their biological inheritance and social environment.
- The Experimental Method: Like scientists conducting experiments, novelists should experiment with their characters, placing them in different situations and observing their reactions to the combined influence of heredity and circumstance.
- Socialist Principles: Since heredity is immutable, Naturalism emphasizes exposing the injustices of social organization that hinder equality.
- Focus on the Sordid: Naturalism often depicts sordid environments and extreme characters shaped by their biological and social conditions: the sick, psychopaths, alcoholics, criminals, etc. These individuals are driven by primal urges, unable to escape their predetermined fates.
Émile Zola himself had a prolific career as a novelist, adhering to these principles. His most famous works include Nana and Germinal, which portrays the lives and struggles of miners. Among his followers, Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) stands out, known for his numerous short stories and novels like A Woman’s Life and Bel-Ami.
Realism in Spain
Spanish literature has always exhibited a penchant for realism over imagination and fantasy. Spain had a strong tradition of realist novels during the Golden Age (Cervantes, picaresque novels) and a notable tradition of costumbrismo (depictions of local customs) during the Romantic period (Mariano José de Larra, Ramón de Mesonero Romanos). However, the development of the realist novel itself was somewhat delayed in Spain, fully emerging only after the Revolution of 1868, which ushered in greater rights and freedoms.
Four Stages of Spanish Realism
The development of the Spanish realist novel was influenced by foreign literature, particularly from France, Russia, and England. Four stages can be identified:
- Pre-Realism (1850-1868): A transitional phase between Romanticism and Realism, characterized by abundant folkloric elements, romantic sentimentality, and conservative thought. Fernán Caballero and Pedro Antonio de Alarcón belong to this stage.
- Thesis Novels (1868-1881): While novels of this period moved beyond picturesque customs, they fell short of accurately representing reality. They often served as propaganda for particular social or political viewpoints, either conservative or progressive. A key weakness was the schematic presentation of characters, who tended to be either wholly positive or negative, lacking the complexity and ambiguity of real people. Notable authors include José María Pereda (conservative), Benito Pérez Galdós (progressive), and Juan Valera (psychological focus).
- Influence of Naturalism (1881-1890): Spanish writers became acquainted with Zola’s doctrines and responded accordingly. Progressive writers embraced Naturalism’s influence, including Galdós, who produced some of his finest novels during this period (Fortunata and Jacinta, Miau). Leopoldo Alas, known as”Clarín” wrote what is arguably the most accomplished Spanish novel of the period, La Regenta (1885). Emilia Pardo Bazán also produced significant works like La Tribuna and Los Pazos de Ulloa. Other novelists, such as Armando Palacio Valdés, displayed an affinity for certain aspects of Naturalism. Notably, Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, though chronologically belonging to the Generation of ’98, employed a realist technique in his regionalist novels set in Valencia.
- Spiritual Realism (from 1890): The late nineteenth century witnessed a movement to transcend the naturalist framework. Determinism was rejected, and writers sought to reconcile materialism and idealism through a deeper exploration of characters’ psychology and spirituality. Russian novelists, particularly Leo Tolstoy, exerted a significant influence during this period. Galdós’s later works, such as Nazarín and Misericordia, featured characters driven by a generous spirit, rising above social conventions. Similar traits can be found in Pardo Bazán’s novels from this time, beginning with Una Cristiana.
While the influence of Naturalism was significant in terms of narrative technique, character development, and subject matter, Spanish naturalist novelists, particularly Pardo Bazán, maintained ideological reservations about certain central tenets of French Naturalism, especially its rigid social and biological determinism.
ological determinism.
4 th spiritual realism (since 1890): In the last years of the nineteenth century a trend towards overcoming the natural scheme. Not only rejects determinism, but is now seeking, through a gradual deepening of the psychology and spirit of the characters, to reconcile the opposition between materialism and idealism.
This period was important the influence of Russian novelists, especially Tolstoy. Russian novels began to be echoed in Spain since the mid-80 (mainly through indirect translations through French), and Emilia Pardo Bazán published in recent years an important essay on this subject: Revolution and Russian novel (1887).
In particular, the works of Galdós of this decade (as Nazario, 1895, or Mercy, 1897) featuring characters that are placed above social conventions, driven by a generous spirit. Similar features have the novels of Emilia Pardo Bazán in these years, startingA Christian (1890).