Realism in 19th-Century Spanish Literature: A Deep Dive
Realism: A Mirror to 19th-Century Society
Realism, a prominent artistic movement, sought to portray reality with the utmost accuracy. It emerged in the first half of the 19th century, coinciding with the rise of urban industrial society and the established bourgeoisie. Pioneered by authors like Balzac and Flaubert, Realism reached its peak in the 1880s, influencing various genres, including the historical novel, novels of manners, and journalistic articles.
Realism vs. Naturalism
Naturalism, spearheaded by Zola, branched out from Realism. It proposed applying the scientific method to literature, analyzing how the environment and heredity shaped human behavior. In contrast, Spanish Realism emphasized free will and humor, detailed descriptions, minimal narrator interference, and the influence of physiological, educational, and familial environments.
Characteristics of the Realist Novel
- Observation and documentation as tools for reflecting reality.
- Explanatory and functional descriptions.
- Simple style, adapting language to the characters.
- Use of geographical, social, and local language varieties.
- Detailed environments that contribute to characterization.
Key Themes and Characters
A central theme is the conflict between the individual and society, often juxtaposing individual nature against societal expectations. This conflict frequently leads to the individual’s defeat. The narrative often intertwines personal and historical events, drawing parallels between urban and rural settings. Characters typically represent a social group, often rebels fighting against the established order.
Key Figures of Spanish Realism
Pereda
Pereda’s regionalist Realism focused on his native Santander, highlighting local customs, landscapes, and character types. His works, such as Sotileza, Peñas Arriba, and Como Padre, Como Hijo, often extolled traditional values.
Valera
Valera prioritized beauty and reader enjoyment. His novels, including Pepita Jiménez and Doña Luz, often explore the theme of love. In Pepita Jiménez, Luis de Vargas falls in love with Pepita, only to face challenges after their marriage.
The Works of Galdós
Episodios Nacionales
This series of 46 short stories, divided into five series of ten episodes each, chronicles 19th-century Spanish history. Each story focuses on a historical event, such as the Battle of Trafalgar or the Battle of Arapiles, interwoven with everyday life episodes.
First Period Novels
Works like Doña Perfecta showcase ideological conflicts, particularly on religious themes. Galdós uses characters and plots to exemplify his ideas, contrasting freedom, tolerance, and progress with religious intolerance and conservatism. Doña Perfecta explores intolerance and hypocrisy, leading to a tragic end.
Contemporary Novels
Starting with La Desheredada and El Amigo Manso, Galdós’s contemporary novels, including the masterpiece Fortunata y Jacinta, depict the reality of Madrid. These novels feature complex characters, incorporate naturalistic elements, and employ various narrative techniques, such as omniscient narration, dialogue, interior monologue, indirect speech, and theatrical modes. Humor, irony, and parody are also prominent.
Spiritual Novels
: The works are (Nazarin) (Halma) ( mercy), the values prevailing evangelical love and charity accounts cristiana.Estos note the author’s ideological disappointment x the failure of the bourgeoisie, the new social conditions and the crisis involving the transformation of realism and his next works fin.Las associated with Russian writers and a new idealism k eticos.Aparecen conflict develops humble characters of high moral values and great sense of space is the preferred deber.El of the slums of the time. Fortunata and Jacinta: The protagonists are Fotunata and jacinta Maximilian and the argument is k juan fortunata kien juan falls for married jacinta, now abandoned and again x 1 juan maxi marries, leaves and gets another protector, in the end gave his son to jacinta and adopted x the juan.Se family through the love triangle structure to express the conflict between love and society, embody realities 2, characterized fortunata x authenticity pride and passion and will miss kien but fail tb all and jacinta is the symbol of the x society respecting the laws and many characters appear in madrid secundarios.Transcurre and takes place in December 1869 and 1876 and integrated the Carlist war optimism 1st republic … the time of the narrative is lienal.El narrator presented first as a witness, and ironic comments constantly and gradually reduces their interventions and becomes the omniscient narrator.