Spanish Literature Before the Civil War
The Pre-Novel of the Spanish Civil War
In 1912, four novels emerged that paved an innovative path in Spanish narrative: Azorín’s The Will, Pío Baroja’s The Path of Perfection, Miguel de Unamuno’s Love and Pedagogy, and Valle-Inclán’s Sonata of Autumn. These novelists, each with their unique style, reacted against the prevailing realistic and naturalistic formulas.
The technical differences between these novels and those of the previous century include:
- Shift in Point of View: The narrative perspective shifted from the author to one or more characters within the story.
- Presence of Alter Egos: Many novels featured protagonists who served as “alter egos” of the authors.
- Use of First-Person Narration: The narrative often transitioned from third-person to first-person, allowing for introspection and self-analysis by the protagonist.
- Focus on Castilian Landscape and Soul: Despite being born in the periphery of Spain, many of these novelists were drawn to the landscape and spirit of Castile.
- Emphasis on Discourse: The narrative prioritized the “how” of storytelling over the “what” of the plot.
- Exploration of the Inner World: The novels delved into the inner world and psychological complexities of the protagonist.
- Fragmented Narrative: The narrative structure often became fragmented, reflecting the protagonist’s experiences and psychological states.
Pío Baroja
Pío Baroja, a prominent figure in Spanish literature, dedicated himself primarily to the novel, leaving a significant influence on subsequent narrators. He viewed the novel as a versatile genre encompassing philosophical reflection and adventure. As a novelist of action rather than thought, he favored adventure themes, often portraying misfit protagonists who struggle in their life journeys.
Baroja’s novels typically revolve around the existential evolution of a single character, the protagonist, supported by secondary characters who provide insights into the central figure. He paid little attention to the narrative’s outcome, employing short paragraphs and a clear, concise style.
Baroja organized his works into trilogies, including:
- Tetralogy of the Sea: The Captain’s Star, The Chimista, The Pilots’ Height, The Labyrinth of the Sirens, and The Concerns of Santi Andia.
- The Struggle for Life: The Search, Aurora Red, and The Weed. This trilogy reflects Madrid society at the turn of the century and chronicles the struggles of the underprivileged to rise in society.
- Basque Country: The Cause of Aizgorri, The Firstborn of Labraz, and Zalacaín the Adventurer.
- The Race: The Lady Errant, The City of Fog, and The Tree of Knowledge (an autobiographical novel reflecting the moral despair and disorientation of Spain at the time).
Other Works:
- Memoirs of a Man of Action (a collection of 22 works from 1913 to 1935, featuring the recurring character Eugenio de Avinareta, an ancestor of Baroja).
- From the Last Turn of the Road, Dark Lives (stories reflecting his experiences as a physician).
Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno, a playwright, novelist, and philosophical poet, utilized the novel as a medium to interpret reality. His novels focused on the inner conflicts of characters. He began his novelistic production with Peace in War, a historical and realistic novel, followed by Love and Pedagogy.
Other Works:
- Mist (subtitled “nivola,” exploring the concept of anti-determinism).
- Abel Sanchez (narrating the theme of jealousy).
- Aunt Tula, Saint Manuel Bueno, Martyr (exploring the theme of faith and the loss thereof).
José Martínez Ruiz, “Azorín”
Azorín, who abandoned his law studies for journalism, created novels where motion and time seemed to stand still. His narrative style involved fragmented snapshots that formed pictures or photographs. He excelled in depicting landscapes, particularly those of Castile.
His early works displayed a revolt against established values, social awareness related to anarchism, and a critique of subjective spiritual concerns.
Works:
- The Will (1902, an impressionistic novel).
- Antonio Azorín (featuring the protagonist from his earlier work).
- Doña Inés and Don Juan.
Ramón del Valle-Inclán
Valle-Inclán, who studied law, began his narrative career during the Modernist period (1880-1914). He rejected traditional realism and advocated for an aristocratic and anti-bourgeois aesthetic, drawing inspiration from fables and legends. He introduced technical innovations into the novel, culminating in the creation of the “esperpento” (a grotesque distortion of reality).
Novels:
- Sonatas (a series of four novels: Sonata of Autumn set in Galicia, Sonata of Summer, Sonata of Spring, and Sonata of Winter). Written in the form of memoirs, they represent an allegory of human life. The protagonist, the Marquis of Bradomín, describes himself as ugly, Catholic, and sentimental. The dominant theme is carnal love, including homosexuality and incest. Other themes include death and religion. The sonatas feature two archetypal female images: the femme fatale and the fragile woman.
- The Carlist Wars (a trilogy consisting of The Crusaders of the Cause, The Glow of the Bonfire, and The Gerifaltes of Antaño). This trilogy presents a vision of traditional Carlist Spain in opposition to liberal Republicanism. Valle-Inclán viewed liberalism as the source of all evil and proposed Carlist Spain as a model. The Carlists are depicted as instinctively acting in accordance with the clergy and the people.
- Tirano Banderas (an experimental novel that offers a unique take on the historical novel, employing the characteristics of the “esperpento.”)
- The Iberian Ring (a series of novels intended to chronicle a 30-year period from the end of Isabel II’s reign (1868) to the Cuban War (1898). Valle-Inclán planned the project as three trilogies but only completed two novels (The Court of Miracles and Viva mi Dueño) and left two unfinished (Baza de Espadas and El Trueno Dorado).
Ramón Pérez de Ayala
Ramón Pérez de Ayala, a writer belonging to the Generation of ’14 or Novecentismo, created an experimental novel that explored consciousness, including the unconscious and subconscious. He utilized theatrical dialogue, interspersed stories, and experimented with perspectivism.
His literary production can be divided into two stages: the first consists of an autobiographical tetralogy, while the second stage focuses on universal themes (love, sex education, language, honor, etc.). Between these two stages is a transitional phase comprising poetic novels published under the title: Prometheus, Sunday Sunlight, and The Fall of the Lemons.
Major Novels:
- Darkness at the Summits, AMDG (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam), The Fox’s Leg, and Troteras and Danzaderas form the tetralogy that narrates the protagonist Alberto Díaz de Guzmán’s crisis.
- Apolonio Bellarmine develops the idea of “harmony.”
- Honeymoon, Bitter Moon, and Urbano and Simona explore the consequences of a lack of sex education.
- Tiger Juan and The Healer of His Honor focus on the pursuit of perfection in the experience of fruitful love.
Gabriel Miró
Gabriel Miró, a writer of the Generation of ’14, created novels with a powerful lyricism, often set against the backdrop of the Levantine landscape. His novels are rich in emotion but do not lack action. His early novels are modernist in style but evolve towards a more reflective writing style.
Major Novels:
- The Book of Sigüenza
- Our Father San Daniel
- The Bishop Leprous
Ramón Gómez de la Serna (Avant-Garde Novel)
Ramón Gómez de la Serna’s novels draw inspiration from his biography and reflect the world of his time. They incorporate sexual elements with a degree of frankness but avoid explicit details.
Works:
- The Black and White Widow
- The Grand Hotel
- The Fifth of Palmyra
- The Amber Women
- Nardo
Benjamín Jarnés
Benjamín Jarnés developed an avant-garde body of work. His novels revolve around a single character and proclaim freedom and the affirmation of the joy of life.
Works:
- The Madness and Death of Nobody
- Paula and Paulita
- Scenes with Death
Prior to the Theater of the Civil War
The early twentieth-century Spanish theater scene was dominated by several dramatic currents from the latter half of the nineteenth century: high comedy, género chico, astrakhan, realistic theater, social drama, and historical drama. Theater enjoyed immense popularity around 1900, with a vibrant scene in Madrid featuring around 300 works performed with two or three daily shows. However, the Spanish stage remained theoretically backward.
The most successful authors in comic theater were the Alvarez Quintero brothers (Joaquín and Serafín), who premiered numerous works set in Andalusia, reflecting a gentle and superficial life. Pedro Muñoz Seca created the astrakhan genre, characterized by an extreme sense of humor based on jokes, parody, anachronisms, and puns. His primary aim was to make the audience laugh, as seen in works like The Vengeance of Don Mendo and The Meeting of the Extremadura. Other authors like Unamuno and Azorín attempted to renew the Spanish stage, but their works had limited critical and commercial impact.
Carlos Arniches
Carlos Arniches employed farce and tragedy with extensive use of the grotesque. His plays used humor to expose the national situation.
Works:
- Miss Trevelez
- Who is My Husband?
- The Chiefs
- That’s My Man
Jacinto Benavente
Jacinto Benavente, awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1922, wrote plays characterized by verbal richness, precise descriptions of environments, and a critical perspective on bourgeois and aristocratic society. His characters tended towards typological simplification, making them easily recognizable to the audience. He was an actor, author, entrepreneur, theater critic, and theorist. He composed 200 works, with his most successful being Vested Interests (exploring the power of money) and The Bonds of Interest (a drama addressing the theme of honor).
Ramón del Valle-Inclán
Valle-Inclán’s theatrical work represents one of the most extraordinary adventures in contemporary European theater. His dramatic career was marked by a continuous intention to renew theatrical forms and a desire to break away from the conventions of his time. He gradually evolved towards his signature style, the “esperpento.”
Classification of Valle-Inclán’s Theater:
- Modernist Cycle: The Marquis of Bradomín and Wilderness of Souls. These plays explore the nineteenth-century theme of adultery.
- Mythical Barbarian Cycle: Includes three comedies: Eagle’s Heraldry, Romance de Lobos, and Silver Face, as well as Divine Words. These works are connected to his native Galicia and depict an archaic society ruled by primal forces. The conflicts focus on lust, pride, cruelty, despotism, sacrifice, superstition, and magic. This trilogy dramatizes the tragedy of Montenegro, with Don Manuel Montenegro as the main character, representing the decline of the landed gentry. His greatness contrasts with the greed and vulgarity of a ridiculous lesser nobility.
- Farcical Cycle: These plays are unique, usually brief, and aim solely to make people laugh. They often feature characters from show business, the use of costumes, or play-within-a-play techniques. Examples include Farsa infantil de la cabeza del dragón, Farsa italiana de la enamorada del rey, and Farsa y licencia de la Reina Castiza. His puppet characters foreshadow the arrival of the “esperpento.”
- Grotesque Cycle: Bohemian Lights, a work that defines the “esperpento” technique. Martes de Carnaval includes The Horns of Don Friolera, The Fat and the Thin, and The Daughter of the Captain.
- Final Cycle: Characterized by the presence of the irrational and instinctive, dehumanized, schematic, and grotesque characters. Works include Altarpiece of Avarice, Lust, and Death, The Pink Ticket, The Head of the Baptist, and The Haunted.
Federico García Lorca
Federico García Lorca created a truly poetic theater where words, music, dance, and scenery intertwined. His theater expressed the problems of life and history through a language rich in connotations. He began his dramatic career with modernist theater, with works like The Butterfly’s Evil Spell and the historical drama Mariana Pineda.
He authored four farces that reflected conflicts arising from marriages of convenience between the old and the young: The Billy-Club Puppets, The Tragicomedy of Don Cristóbal and Rosita, The Shoemaker’s Prodigious Wife, and The Love of Don Perlimplín and Belisa in the Garden.
His avant-garde works include The Audience and Play Without a Title. He also composed surrealist theater, anticipating the breakdown of space and time, split personalities, and the possibility of multiple dramatic interpretations.
Lorca’s dramatic trilogy consists of Blood Wedding, Yerma, and The House of Bernarda Alba. These plays are set in rural environments where natural forces impose a tragic destiny. The plot is of secondary importance. Blood Wedding dramatizes the power of passion and the earth’s sexuality. Yerma explores the theme of infertility as a curse for the protagonist, who sees fertility all around her but not within herself. The House of Bernarda Alba depicts the struggle between authority, embodied in Bernarda, who imposes years of mourning and repression on her daughters, and the desire for freedom.