Spanish Literature: Genres, Authors, and Works
The Essay Genre
The essay genre meets educational needs and the utility of illustration, representing a new style of prose: plain, direct, natural, and accurate, without artifice. The essay seeks reflection.
José Cadalso: In 1772, he published The Pseudo-Intellectuals, a satire on false intellectuals. In 1793, he released his Moroccan Letters, expressing his thoughts on Spanish society and culture. His final work, Mournful Nights, features a protagonist who converses with the undertaker, wanting to take his beloved’s corpse home to commit suicide by burning beside it.
Theater
The drama of this century was involved in several enlightened debates. The aim was to create a new theater that followed the rule of three unities and served as a good school for customs. New works should seek verisimilitude and present universal characters and conflicts that could be useful for learning.
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos: Sentimental comedies are works that combine dyes, often containing an unfortunate outcome. The merit lies in incorporating a language with a scientific or philosophical vocabulary, as well as in the role of low-life characters, in relation to the purpose of this theater: to educate (The Offender Honored).
Leandro Fernández de Moratín: He is the creator of neoclassical comedy, characterized by simple plots, respect for the rule of three unities, and brilliant dialogues. In The New Comedy, he exposes the conflict between the theater and the post-Baroque new theater. One of the most interesting features of the comedy is Moratín’s vision of two young lovers. The story traces the attempts of Don Diego to marry Doña Francisca, 43 years his junior. The work respects the rule of three unities.
Lyric Poetry
José de Espronceda: Published three books: “Poems” (including “Pirate Song”), El Estudiante de Salamanca (about the love of Don Juan Felix de Montemar and his girlfriend Elvira), and El Diablo Mundo (social, philosophical, and love poems, including “Canto a Teresa”).
Style: Combines all the formal features of romantic poetic style: a large number of stanzas and meters, experimentation with many elements of nature, and narrative sound. Includes abundant resources and a select vocabulary.
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer: His prose highlights his Legends, with fantasy themes and romantic settings. He also cultivated the literary essay (Letters from My Cell). His greatest fame was obtained by his lyrical works (Rhymes). Only after his death were his poems published, with a thematic organization proposed by his friends. These thematic groups are: “Poetry theoretical esperanzado. POETRY.-Love-Love-Death angustiado., loneliness, anxiety nocturna.
Style: Seeks an easy language with which to express his own intimacy. Two sources of inspiration for the writer are German poetry and Andalusian poetry. He is innovative, fully integrated into the modern European ethics of his time, characterized by the symbolist movement.
Romantic Prose
Mariano José de Larra: Among his works are a historical novel, a tragedy, and a collection of journalistic articles. He does not limit himself to pure description, because his critical sense led him to delve into the ills that plagued Spanish reality.
Themes: Discussed issues ranging from the political wing of society, from the familiar themes to cultural. He criticizes ignorance, falsehood, the inefficiency of public administration, the lack of civic sense, and so on. Cultivated literary criticism and cultural.
Style: Noted for its brevity and clarity, and ease of satire, humor, irony, and caricature.