Spanish Neoclassical Literature: Cadalso and Moratín
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism, the literary movement developed in the 18th century, emerged as a response to the contempt provoked by Baroque literature among writers. Key characteristics include:
- The work responds to a universal model and is faithful to reality, opposing an aristocratic art based on traditional tastes of the country.
- Works do not mix the tragic and the comic.
- The aim of all literature is didactic, following the slogan “delight and teach”.
- All teaching is based on reason, harmony, good taste, and critical spirit.
- Works are subject to certain very strict rules of composition based on classical models.
- It is a disciplined art, guided by reason, but sometimes lacks liveliness.
Cultivated literary genres include:
- Lyric Poetry: Philosophical and didactic poetry, giving rise to the fable.
- Prose: Critical prose.
- Theater: Follows established rules.
Characteristics of Neoclassical Prose
Characteristics:
- Elaborated sentences.
- Lack of overt emotion.
- Use of prose for storytelling with didactic purposes.
José Cadalso
A prominent writer of Neoclassical prose. He began writing neoclassical tragedy with a medieval theme, called Tragedy of Sancho García, which was unsuccessful. He also wrote a book of poems called Ocios de mi juventud, but his prose works are more important.
Cartas marruecas follows the model of epistolary works of the Enlightenment. It is a collection of 90 letters written by 3 characters, analyzing Spanish society of the time. Therefore, it fulfills the main characteristic of didactic prose.
The characters are:
- Gazel: A Moroccan character who arrives in Spain accompanying his country’s ambassador. Driven by curiosity, he observes and decides to stay in Spain. He connects with Nuño, who introduces him to Spanish environments. This situation serves as Cadalso’s pretext to critique Spanish society.
- Nuño: Represents the author himself and presents the contradictions between his patriotism and his desire for reform.
- Ben-Beley: Gazel’s old teacher, to whom the letters are written, exposing reality as it is.
Fundamental themes of the work:
- Presents historical societal themes.
- Presents contemporary issues, making a great critique of the nobility.
- General themes reflecting the era.
Cadalso’s works of lesser importance include Los eruditos a la violeta, which mocks false intellectuals and defends literature as the result of effort.
His work Noches lúgubres could represent a later, pre-Romantic stage of 18th-century literature.
Neoclassical Theater
Characteristics:
- Adoption of the rule of the three unities (action, time, place).
- Separation between tragic and comic genres. Tragedy dealt with classical or historical themes, while comedy focused on bourgeois themes.
- Emphasis on verisimilitude (plausibility) in action and decorum in language.
- Works had a didactic intention, aiming to entertain and educate.
- Received official protection, though public reception was sometimes poor.
Leandro Fernández de Moratín
He cultivated the two important genres of this era:
a. Neoclassical Tragedy: Inspired by French classics.
b. Prose Work: La derrota de los pedantes.
c. Plays (Comedies): Moratín’s plays are characterized by total subjugation to the rule of the three unities and by the verisimilitude of their plots. His works have a dual purpose: to delight and to teach (didacticism). They are characterized by their simplicity, the psychological description of the characters, and their irony. In the five comedies he wrote, he addressed two main themes:
- Freedom of choice in marriage.
- The necessary equality between spouses in age and social situation.
His five major works are grouped into:
- 1. Satirical works: La comedia nueva (or El café), La mojigata.
- 2. Comedies addressing marriage issues: El viejo y la niña, El barón, and El sí de las niñas. In all of these, he advocates for women’s freedom (libertad) to choose their husbands, a controversial topic at the time.