Spanish Literature: From 18th Century to Post-War Era
Spanish Literature Overview
The Girls Themselves: Eighteenth Century
The Girls Themselves, a neoclassical comedy by Leandro Fernández de Moratín, explores the theme of elderly marriages of convenience between wealthy men and destitute girls, a recurring subject in Moratín’s works. Set in a single location over one night, the play features characters from the same social class. The story revolves around an old man who wishes to marry a young girl. Due to her upbringing, the girl feels obligated to accept the proposal, as obedience to elders is expected. The girl’s mother hopes the marriage will alleviate their poverty, prioritizing financial security over her daughter’s happiness. Meanwhile, the daughter is in love with a young officer who is willing to step aside to avoid offending her mother.
Written in a lively and colloquial language, The Girls Themselves is a farce that exposes the flaws in education, the lack of freedom, and the inadequate training of women. This work faced strong opposition from the Church.
The American Spanish
Language presented a significant challenge for the conquerors, who aimed to seize property, to the extent that the council prohibited indigenous languages. At the beginning of these countries’ emancipation, there were three million Spanish speakers, and Spanish became widespread in Latin America. American Spanish exhibits distinct characteristics:
Phenomenal Features:
- Sibilance (pronounced like “c” and “s”)
- Yeísmo (the merging of “ll” and “y”)
- Aspiration of the final “s”
- Loss of intervocalic “d”
Morphologic Features:
- Voseo (use of “vos” instead of “tú” or “usted”)
- Verb ending vowel suspensions
Lexical Features:
- Plenty of wildcards (e.g., “idiota”)
- Different employment of certain words (e.g., “manejar” – driving, “carro” – car)
- Irony in tone
- Words created under the influence of English
Generation of ’98
Azorín coined the term “Generation of ’98,” although a post-critical current denies the existence of this generation as a cohesive group. Pedro Salinas, however, attempted to prove its existence, citing generational requirements such as birth in proximate years, shared intellectual training, participation in collective actions, and the impact of a generational event (The Disaster of ’98).
Members included Baroja, Azorín, Maeztu, Unamuno, Antonio Machado, and Valle-Inclán. They initially engaged in a radical analysis of Spanish society but did not offer concrete solutions. Over time, their views moderated, and in the cases of Azorín and Maeztu, they embraced conservative ideas. Antonio Machado maintained his faith in democracy and the republic.
Common Elements of the Generation of ’98:
- Preference for foreign philosophers
- Existential interest in progress
- Concern for Spain, its history, and its contemporary decline
- Love of Castile
Generation of ’27
The early works of the Generation of ’27 displayed a romantic sensibility, later influenced by the rise of the avant-garde, leading to an approach of pure art, detached from human concerns, and embracing innovative techniques. From 1930 onward, they abandoned pure poetry, and their works reflected the intense social and political upheaval in Spain.
Features:
- Popular-culture forms
- Poetry that is concise, challenging to understand, and not readily accessible to a broad audience
- Balancing the intellectual with the sentimental
- Admiration for writers of previous generations
The Civil War and its consequences profoundly impacted this generation.
Some Poets and Works:
- Pedro Salinas (Razón de Amor)
- Jorge Guillén (Cántico)
- Gerardo Diego (Manual de Espumas)
- Dámaso Alonso (Hijos de la Ira)
The Post-War Novel
The Civil War caused a traumatic rupture in Spanish cultural life. Strict censorship, prohibitions, and exile exacerbated this rupture. The Spanish novel of the 1940s is characterized by the near-universal use of realistic techniques. It is a traditional novel marked by pessimism, poverty, and the harsh living conditions prevalent in society.
Notable titles include The Family of Pascual Duarte by Camilo José Cela, which inaugurated “tremendismo,” a style characterized by the systematic depiction of the most unpleasant aspects of reality. Another significant work is Nada by Carmen Laforet.
During the 1950s, political repression eased somewhat, allowing some writers to be bolder in their works. The Hive by Camilo José Cela, which portrays life in Madrid through a vast fresco of characters, lacks a single protagonist.
The Realistic Novel
Originating in France in the first half of the nineteenth century, the realistic novel aimed to provide an accurate, complete, and sincere representation of the contemporary social environment. Towards the end of the century, naturalism emerged, seeking to apply the laws of biological determinism to narrative.
In Spain, realism began with La Fontana de Oro by Benito Pérez Galdós. Galdós’s work was characterized by “liberalitas,” evident in his thesis novels. He also wrote contemporary novels like Fortunata and Jacinta. Leopoldo Alas “Clarín” cultivated a moderate naturalism in works such as La Regenta, a merciless portrayal of provincial Spain.
Emilia Pardo Bazán stands as a prominent representative of naturalism.
The Post-War Spanish Poetry
Two trends emerged in post-war Spanish poetry:
- Rooted Poetry: Supported by the winning side, this formalist literature remained detached from political and social concerns.
- Uprooted Poetry: Stemming from Dámaso Alonso’s Hijos de la Ira, this trend sought to address the political and social situation.
Social poetry aimed to transform the world through poetic expression. Works like Pido la Paz y la Palabra by Blas de Otero denounced social injustice and the lack of freedom.
The so-called Generation of ’50 comprised a group of young poets who undertook the task of renewing Spanish poetry.
Romanticism (XIX)
Romanticism, a cultural, aesthetic, and political movement that developed in Europe during the early decades of the nineteenth century, arrived in Spain after the return of exiles following the death of Ferdinand VII in 1833. It is characterized by sentiment, imagination, fantasy, and intuition. The predominance of passion often resulted in anxiety and melancholy.
Prose:
Spanish Romantic prose reached its peak with Mariano José de Larra, in articles like “El Castellano Viejo” or “Vuelva Usted Mañana.” He criticized Spanish society. Bécquer’s legends also stand out.
Poetry:
Romantic poetry had two phases. The first was marked by José de Espronceda, with works like El estudiante de Salamanca. The second phase featured Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Rosalía de Castro. The underlying theme is love.
Drama:
Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino by the Duke of Rivas is a significant work. The most important Romantic drama was Don Juan Tenorio by José Zorrilla.