Spanish Civil War Narrative: Postwar Trends to Present
In the long period from the immediate postwar period to the present, the narrative has undergone several stages, similar in some ways and in certain aspects to the development of opera and drama. One could say that throughout this long phase, the dominant aesthetic trend, albeit with different proposals and objectives, was realism.
Main Guidelines
The main thrusts of the narrative in the postwar period to the present are as follows:
During the Civil War
In these years, there was a novel characterized in general by Manichaeism, an aggressive stance, and attacks on the opposing side. Among the Republican authors, we can cite César M. Arconada (Río Tajo, 1938) and José Herrera Petere (Acero de Madrid, 1938). On the Nationalist side stand Concha Espina (Retaguardia, 1937), Rafael García Serrano (Eugenio o proclamación de la primavera, 1938), Agustín de Foxá (Madrid, de corte a checa, 1938), and Wenceslao Fernández Flórez (Una isla en el mar Rojo, 1939).
The 1940s
Leaving behind novels about the war and praise for the regime, traditional realism predominates, and a stark reality emerges, a variant that incorporates brutal and sordid situations. This trait is present in the best novels of the period: Nada, by Carmen Laforet, and The Family of Pascual Duarte, by Camilo José Cela, who are enrolled in the so-called existential realism, which recounts the experiences of a character fighting an uncertain fate, and the difficulty or lack of communication. Towards the end of the decade, The Hive, also by Cela, inaugurates a new form of novel that will mark the following years.
The 1950s
While the production of traditional realism continues, critical realism predominates, as in other genres, reflecting the reality of the time on two fronts: neorealism, the fantasy or magical novel, and the so-called metaphysical novel, which will be developed in subsequent years.
The 1960s and Early 1970s
Within the line of social concern and reflecting the reality of the time, there occurs a structural and linguistic renewal of the narrative, which quietly opened with Time of Silence (1962), by Luis Martín Santos. Until 1975, there is a rise of experimentalism, which incorporates, in some cases, elements of fantasy and parody.
From 1975 to the Present
Since the moment of political transition, the narrative is characterized mainly by the plurality of trends, genres, models, and styles, and the recovery of the importance of the story as told by younger writers, whose production started at the beginning of the stage. First, the realistic trend stands out, with different orientations: psychological realism, mythical and fantastic, expressionist realism, critical and social realism, evocative memory, and manners neorealism. On the other hand, novels of different genres are cultivated: historical, detective or adventure, erotic, etc. Furthermore, at this stage, the experimental novel has continued to be cultivated, and the metanovel has developed, reaching maturity in the decade of the 1980s.
The Narrative from 1975 to the Present
In the narrative of the last reporting period, the absence of collective proposals and the aesthetic diversity of the creations stand out.
Main Aesthetic Trends
According to the critical study by Santos Alonso, starting in 1975, the following dominant trends are distinguished:
Experimental and Discursive Novels
Continuing the novel centered on discourse: linguistic and structural complexity, heterogeneity, and content style. Examples:
Metanovels
It reaches maturity in the 1980s. It is mainly about literary creation, the process of writing or reading, and the construction of characters. Examples:
Historical Fiction
Some evidence of this orientation are:
Erotic Fiction
Action Fiction
Included in this type are adventure novels, detective or noir novels, and espionage novels.
Novel-Chronicle
These are stories that take the form of chronicles of present or past events.