Romanticism and Realism in 19th Century Spanish Literature
Concept and Characteristics of Romanticism
Romanticism is an ideological and artistic movement that encompasses literature, art, and an attitude towards life. It emphasizes:
- Freedom, Power, and Individualism: The individual’s ego utilizes irrationality to break free from the constraints of reason.
- Romantic Rebel and Hero: The conflict between the individual and the world leads to the emergence of the romantic rebel, a hero who often succumbs in the struggle against fate.
- Action and Escape: These struggles inspire action to change the world or escape to a more fulfilling life.
- Freedom in Art: Freedom dictates art, breaking established rules. Romantics rejected norms (mixing prose and verse, serious and grotesque), sought originality, and employed excessive expressiveness, sometimes with rhetorical flourish.
- Nature’s Reflection: Nature mirrors mood, with a prevalence of night, the supernatural, and the macabre.
- Identity and Difference: Romantics sought to define identity and explore differences.
Romantic Poetry
Freedom is evident in the verse (retrieval and innovative mixing of metric forms). Symbolic and connotative language created modern poetry. Two types can be distinguished:
- Narrative Poetry: Explores historical-legendary themes (e.g., The Student of Salamanca). Predominantly short narrative poems, ballads, or historical romances.
- Lyric Poetry: Imbued with subjectivism and emotionalism. Focuses on intimate and grand themes. Nature and its elements are animated and take on symbolic significance.
Two subcategories of lyrical poetry emerged:
- Lyrical-Romantic: Characterized by exalted rhetoric (e.g., Espronceda), reflecting a rebellious, disillusioned, and combative spirit.
- Lyrical Post-Romantic: Poetry became more intimate and essential, with a simpler and more natural style (e.g., Becquer and Rosalia de Castro).
Gustavo Adolfo Becquer
Becquer is the most influential 19th-century Spanish poet, renowned for his Rimas (Rhymes). These poems express human concerns in short verses (hendecasyllables and seven syllables), using broken meter and a simple, natural style. His prose legends feature romantic elements (fantasy, mystery, night).
Rosalia de Castro
Rosalia de Castro embraced simplicity in her work, particularly in En las orillas del Sar (On the Shores of the Sar). Her intimate and sorrowful tone explores essential life concerns and her homeland. Her intimate voice also incorporates social critique.
The Novel
The novel experienced a boom due to the rise of the bourgeoisie. The historical novel (filled with historical and legendary elements) set in the Middle Ages was favored. The social novel also emerged.
The Customs and Manners
Customs and manners are satirical narratives that depict everyday life and traditional Spanish customs. These “pictures” form the novel of manners and anticipate the realist novel.
Mariano José de Larra
Larra represents the critical portrayal of customs and manners. He published around two hundred articles, categorized into political (against absolutism, Carlism), literary (on contemporary literature), and customs articles. In the latter, he satirizes the defects of Spanish society that hinder progress, employing an ironic and sarcastic tone. Larra’s writing aimed to effect societal change.
Journalism flourished, with many novels serialized, making the novel a form of mass entertainment.
The Theater: The Romantic Drama
The romantic drama is the quintessential dramatic subgenre of the period. Characterized by:
- Historical Evolution: Depicts the evolution of historical events.
- Themes: Explores human passions, conflicts of the romantic self.
- Creative Freedom: Emphasizes freedom of expression.
- Romantic Hero: Features the iconic romantic hero.
- Exotic Settings: Utilizes scenery that recreates exotic locales.
- Emotional Impact: Aims to move the audience emotionally.
In romantic drama, the plot often takes a backseat to the romantic conflict.
Realism
Realism emerged in France and spread throughout Europe during the second half of the 19th century. It is characterized by:
- Objective View of Reality: Presents an unbiased perspective on reality.
- Bourgeois Themes: Focuses on issues inherent to the bourgeoisie or their conflicts with other social classes.
- Narrative Objectivism: The narrator describes reality as it is observed.
- Critical Intent: Aims to critique social issues.
- Realistic Language: Employs language that reflects everyday speech.
Naturalism
Naturalism takes realism’s objectivity to an extreme, resulting in a documentary style. The novel is seen as a scientific method for understanding human beings. Key features include:
- Humans as Matter: Views humans as animated matter.
- Social Ills: Exposes the evils of the bourgeois world.
- Radical Narrative: Employs a more radical narrative approach.
- Detailed Descriptions: Features extensive descriptive detail.
The Realist and Naturalist Novel in Spain
Within Spain, two main strands of realism developed:
- Progressive Realism: Depicts society in a raw and critical manner.
- Traditional Realism: Idealizes customs and environments in contrast to the perceived decay of the urban bourgeoisie.
Stages of Realism in Spain
Spanish realism unfolded in three stages:
- Pre-Realism: A novel of manners develops, paving the way for full-fledged realism.
- Realism and Naturalism: The realist novel gains prominence with the bourgeoisie’s final triumph.
- Spiritual Realism: Emerges from 1890 onwards, influenced by the Russian novel.
Benito Perez Galdos
Galdos’ works can be divided into two groups:
- National Episode Novels: Chronicles Spanish history through the lives of ordinary people.
- Novels of Character: Further divided into three subgroups:
- Spanish Novels of the First Epoch: Depict the clash between progressive and reactionary ideas.
- Contemporary Spanish Novels: Reflect the complexities of Spanish society at the time.
- Spiritual Novels: Explore the integration of spirituality into the realistic world.