Rosalía de Castro’s Legacy: A Deep Dive into “Follas Novas”
Rosalía de Castro’s Follas Novas: An In-Depth Analysis
Overview
Alberto Camino (Ferrol 1820-Madrid 1861), another noteworthy poet, composed elegant elegiac verses. His renowned poem “O desconsolo,” with its added “Mãe chorosa,” stands as an emblem of his compassionate style.
Floral Games of 1861: A Literary Milestone
The Floral Games held in Corunna in 1861 marked a significant moment for Galician literature. The event led to the publication of the Album de la Caridad (1862), coordinated by Antonio Maria Iglesia. This anthology showcased forty Galician poems by prominent authors such as Francisco Añón, Alberto Camino, Rosalía de Castro, João Manuel Pintos, and Eduardo Pondal.
Stylistic and Metric Resources in Cantares Gallegos
The thematic simplicity of Cantares Gallegos is mirrored in its form. Rosalía employs popular language and folk elements, utilizing metaphors, anaphora, repetition, and antithesis. Traditional musical forms like the muiñeira, along with popular verse structures such as redondilhas, tenths, eighths, and cuartetaas reais, are incorporated.
Publication and Context of Follas Novas
Follas Novas was intended for publication alongside the second edition of Cantares Gallegos (1872), but it was delayed for eight years. Dedicated to the Charitable Society of Galicia in Havana, whose financial support made its publication possible, the book features a prologue by Emilio Castelar, “Dúas palabras da autora,” written in 1880. Castelar’s prologue clarifies Rosalía’s intent to offer a poetic world distinct from Cantares Gallegos, delving into romantic, philosophical, and intimate themes tinged with skepticism about writing and the human condition. The book reveals a state of mind dominated by sadness, reflecting both personal struggles and broader societal concerns. Comprising five books and 136 short poems, Follas Novas presents Rosalía’s multifaceted view of human existence.
Structure and Themes
The structure of Follas Novas reflects Rosalía’s dual focus on the intimate and the social:
- Intense Subjectivity (“Vaguedás” and “Do íntimo”): These sections explore personal anxieties and societal discomfort.
- Social Commentary (“Da terra” and “As viudas dos vivos e as viudas dos mortos”): These sections address collective misfortunes, particularly the plight of widows and emigrants.
- “Varia”: This section combines both intimate and social themes.
Rosalía’s Perspective: Intimate and Social
While Portugal served as the backdrop for Cantares Gallegos, Follas Novas provides a deeper insight into Rosalía’s pessimistic worldview.
1. The Intimate View
The anxieties present in the first book intensify, revealing feelings of loneliness and isolation. Rosalía grapples with the nature of existence and the source of suffering. Love is portrayed as an illusion destined for failure. This internal voice, marked by anguish, pain, and longing, also expresses hatred, resentment, and shame. Rest is equated with death, the only true reality. Rosalía even contemplates suicide as an escape from suffering. Her fluctuating doubts and beliefs reveal a profound existential struggle. “Negra sombra” symbolically expresses the spiritual journey through the pain of living, from the hope of escape to the realization that suffering is inseparable from life.
2. The Social Vision
Follas Novas also addresses the constraints placed on women in 19th-century society. Rosalía, aware of her marginal position within literary circles, faced hostility and criticism. This explains her reluctance to publish and her final request to burn her manuscripts. However, Rosalía’s voice also speaks out against social injustice and hypocrisy, sometimes with resignation, other times inciting rebellion and revenge (“A xustiza pola man”). The theme of emigration is explored with poignant sorrow. People driven to emigrate by poverty leave behind a country of widows, both living and dead. The final book, which shares the book’s title, focuses on the plight of these women, victims of forced exodus who lose hope of reunion and seek solace in death.