Spanish Post-Civil War Literature: Tremendismo & Social Novel
Spanish Post-Civil War Literature
Tremendismo
The Family of Pascual Duarte
The Family of Pascual Duarte is a representative work of tremendismo, a literary movement of the 1940s. Characteristics:
- Characters: Marginalized individuals with aggressive or barbaric behavior.
- Story: Introduces characters in extreme situations filled with violence.
- Language: Rough and stark, reflecting the oppressive world.
Tremendismo emerged as a response to the tragic experiences of the Civil War and its aftermath. Features:
- First-person narration: Limited perspective from the protagonist.
- Narrator-protagonist: Socially marginalized and driven by violent impulses.
- Gory episodes: Pascual recounts and attempts to justify his actions.
- Simple language: Rural speech and everyday peasant life.
Intimate Realism:
Nothing
Nothing tells the story of Andrea, a young woman who arrives in Barcelona after the Civil War to study. Her life is divided between her oppressive family and the liberating world of the city and university. The novel explores her journey of self-discovery. Salient features:
- Autobiographical portrait: First-person narrative from Andrea’s perspective.
- Closed space: Much of the action takes place in an oppressive environment.
- Inner world: Focuses on Andrea’s reactions to the hostile world.
- Simplicity of expression: Simple language with lyrical undertones.
The Social Novel of the 1950s
Representative works include: Duel in Paradise, El Jarama, Between Curtains, Central Eléctrica, The Trench, and Rats. Central theme: Contemporary Spanish society.
- Harsh living conditions: Depicts the struggles of peasants and the working class.
- Criticism of the bourgeoisie: Critiques their empty and unethical lifestyle.
Characteristics:
- Collective protagonist: Characters represent a social group.
- Simplified plot: Focuses on everyday scenes rather than complex narratives.
- Limited space and time: Action unfolds in specific settings and short timeframes.
- Linear order: Chronological narration.
- Importance of dialogues: Reveals character personalities.
- Objective narrator: Third-person narration with an observer’s perspective.
- Expressive simplicity: Austere language.
Trends within the Social Novel:
Objectivism
Examples: The Brave and El Jarama. Extreme objectivity, the narrator acts as an impartial observer. Social criticism is implied.
Critical Realism
Examples: Central Electric, The Ditch, and Rats. More explicit social and political critique. Central Electric denounces the harsh conditions of dam construction workers.
The Collective Protagonist:
The Hive
The Hive portrays the harsh realities of post-war Madrid through the lives of over 300 characters. Characteristics:
- Collective protagonist: A group representing Madrid’s inhabitants.
- Fragmentary structure: Short sequences depicting daily life fragments.
- Real-time focus: Events unfold over three days in 1943.
- Simultaneous events: Multiple events occur concurrently, sometimes from different perspectives.
- Limited character development: Focuses on significant features rather than in-depth psychology.
- Dialogue-driven: Reveals character personalities through speech.
- Omniscient narrator: Knows characters’ thoughts and offers opinions.
- Counterpoint technique: Presents events from various perspectives.