Spanish Literature Movements: Romanticism to Post-War Novel
Romanticism: Key Features
- Freedom: A break from established rules.
- Subjectivism: Focus on the inner self.
- Themes: Self-expression, rebelliousness, social and philosophical issues, legendary and historical topics.
- Characters: Marginal figures, rebels, freedom-lovers, and passionate individuals marked by fate.
- Nationalism: Deep love for one’s homeland.
- Evocation of the Past: Preference for the Middle Ages and Renaissance, escape to exotic and wondrous lands.
- Atmosphere: Mystery and solemnity, often at night, in solitary places, ruins, and darkness.
Realism: Core Aspects
- Detailed descriptions of characters and environments (psychological novel).
- Omniscient narrator.
- Focus on observation and reporting of reality.
- Narrative preference to best reflect reality.
- Themes: Marriage, family, infidelity.
- Settings: Urban, rural, and industrial environments.
- Language reflecting different social classes.
Modernism: Defining Elements
- Themes: Existential mood of the poet, dreams, the mysterious, the influence of Bécquer.
- Contrast: Idealized love versus eroticism.
- Settings: Middle Ages, Renaissance, Classical Antiquity.
- Metrics: Cultivated and refined.
- Style: Stanzas seeking formal beauty, use of symbols, educated vocabulary, and sensory values to create a sensual world.
Post-War Poetry
Rooted Poetry
Poets gathered around the magazine Garcilaso, focusing on intimate themes and formal perfection, often using the sonnet form. Admiration for Garcilaso. Notable authors: G. Nieto, Panero, L.F. Vivanco, Rosales, Morales, and D. Ridruejo.
Uprooted Poetry
Emerged with the publication of The Children of Wrath by Dámaso Alonso, continued with the magazine Cattail created by Cremer, and concluded with Aleixandre’s Shadow of Paradise. Sensationalist and existential tones. Authors: Blas de Otero, Ángel Fierro, focusing on the human conscience.
Poetry of the 50s
Considered a weapon for social change, but ultimately unsuccessful. Authors from the 60s, children during the war, returned to intimate themes with social concerns, incorporating irony and skepticism.
Poetry of the 70s
The Nine Novísimos broke with tradition, embracing surrealism and themes related to technology and media.
Post-War Novel
The 1940s
An existential novel focusing on individual conflicts and anxieties, sharing realism and intimacy. Nada and La familia de Pascual Duarte are examples of the social novel. Authors: J. Ramón Sender, Crónica del alba, Max Aub.
The 1950s
La colmena by Cela is a precedent for the social novel, reflecting the immediate post-war reality. Miguel Delibes, El camino.
Mid-Century Generation
A group of young writers developed a different kind of novel in content, form, and purpose, aiming to reflect the reality of the moment. Theme: Collective and social issues, leading to social realism. The predominant technique is objectivism, with the author remaining behind the characters, allowing them to speak for themselves.