Romanticism in Spain: Literature, Theater, Key Authors
Romanticism in Spain
Romanticism is a social and artistic movement that covers the first half of the nineteenth century and whose principal objective is to exercise the right to freedom. In Spain, it developed later than in the rest of Europe.
The artists of this time disregarded classical rules. Passion replaces reason, and artistic works become very subjective. Romantic works are characterized by a mix of genres, the combination of verse and prose, and the use of different metric structures in the same poem.
The expression of personal feelings and emotions is the main theme, and the literary genre that best expresses it is the lyrical. However, we also find in their works social condemnation and concern for others’ problems. Other themes discussed were those associated with nature and the evocation of an idealized medieval past.
Romanticism ensured respect for the identities of all peoples. In Spain, this was reflected in the promotion of Galician, Catalan, and Basque literature.
The Lyrical Romanticism
In Spain, there are two stages:
- In the first, poets disagree with society, are combative, and express exaltation and grandeur. José de Espronceda belongs to this stage.
- In the second, called late Romanticism, the social conscience is abandoned, and the expression of personal issues is accentuated. The tone becomes intimate, and metrics are used more freely. Rosalía de Castro and Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer belong to this period.
José de Espronceda
After years of exile, Espronceda’s style evolved from the neoclassical aesthetic to a more spontaneous expression that mixed genres and metrical schemes.
The theme of this lyric poet revolves around two points of interest: sometimes romantic ideals, as in “The Pirate Song,” and others, his living and loving experiences, as in the elegy “Song to Teresa.”
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
He worked in various publications. His compositions, Rhymes and Legends, appeared in scattered newspapers and magazines. The Rhymes are lyrical poems, and Legends are his fantastic tales.
The style of the compositions in Rhymes mimics the popular character, as is frequent use of parallels, correlation, simple vocabulary, and assonance rhyme. The themes of these revolve around the desire to express themselves through poetry.
Narrative
The most prominent target of the stories is to show the public items that are part of the country’s identity. Some authors choose to develop their arguments from the evocation of the past. The result is a historical novel or legend, written in verse or prose. Furthermore, this observation is the starting point of the novel of manners and the customs article. Mariano José de Larra added a critical intention to manners.
Mariano José de Larra
He had a solid and cosmopolitan education, with projects to improve the country, which he defended and propagated through his newspaper articles.
Larra’s prose style is clear and direct. The author employs the use of irony to present a humorous view of social defects that he seeks to prevent, as his simple lexicon in Articles are accepted by a wide audience.
Theater
The authors were inspired by seventeenth-century Spanish theater.
The features of this stage are: the use of verse, the replacement of acts by days, and the rejection of the three unities. As for themes, there is a strong preference for medieval topics and issues related to honor.
The term “romantic drama” is due to the mixture of tragedy and comedy. The constantly changing scenarios in which the action unfolds give the romantic drama great dynamism. Its bombastic style has to be considered an unlikely drama.
The Duke of Rivas (1791-1865)
Ángel de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas, suffered political exile. Upon returning to Spain, he incorporated into his work some of the new European literary movements: a taste for the historical, folkloric descriptions, and situations caused by mystery or fatality.
His most famous drama, Don Álvaro, or the Force of Fate, was released in 1835. It is written in prose and verse.