19th Century Spanish Literature: Romanticism & Realism
Romantic Prose
Romantic prose includes historical novels and legends, such as those by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer. Costumbristas newspaper articles reflect the living habits of the time.
Jose Mariano Larra (1809-1837)
Life: A defender of freedom, Larra participated in the political life of the time on the liberal side. He had a turbulent love affair with a married woman and committed suicide at 28, disillusioned by society and his personal life.
Work: His most important work was journalistic. He was a
Read MoreNarrative of Post-War Spanish Generations
The Narrative of Post-War Spanish Literature
1. Introduction – Summary
Within the narrative of postwar Spanish generations are six narratives, three arising in Franco’s Spain and three who did so after 1975.
First, the baby boom generation, which in the 1940s, in a few tough years, assumes the starting role after the Civil War, with the first attempts at renewal from realism characterized by the tone and existentialist worldview.
Second, the mid-century generation, the children of the Civil War in the
Read More20th Century Spanish Narrative: From Exile to Experimentation
Spanish Narrative After 1936
Prose in Exile
The end of the Spanish Civil War led many intellectuals into exile. Their works are generally characterized by:
- The evocation of a lost Spain
- The memory of the Civil War
- The desire to recover the past
- Nostalgia and pain
- Anxiety and loneliness
Some prominent authors in exile include:
Max Aub
Aub’s series, particularly those set during the Civil War and Valverde Street, are notable for their Galdosian realism, irony, humor, and playful tone.
Francisco Ayala
Ayala’s
Read More20th Century Spanish Literature: War, Exile, and Renewal
1. The Spanish Civil War and its Impact on Culture
The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) marked a significant rupture in the evolution of Spanish culture and its relationship with European trends. The war’s aftermath led to a period of cultural and political isolation, characterized by strict censorship and limited exposure to outside influences.
Impact on the Generation of ’27:
- The Generation of ’27, a group of influential poets and writers, was deeply affected by the war.
- Federico García Lorca was tragically
The Spanish Novel in the 20th Century: From Modernism to the Avant-Garde
1. The Spanish Novel in the Early 20th Century
1.1 The Novel of Modernism and the Generation of ’98
The Modernist aesthetic renovation of poetic language extended to prose and fiction. Its themes and attitudes mirrored those of poetry: sensuality, idealization, and stylization of reality. Examples include Sonatas by Valle-Inclán and Platero and I by Juan Ramón Jiménez. These works showcase the modernist prose accumulation of rhetorical and emotional elements, its escape from everyday reality, and
Read More18th Century Spanish Literature: Neoclassicism and Pre-Romanticism
Neoclassicism and Pre-Romanticism in 18th Century Spanish Literature
Poetry
While Baroque poetry, best represented by Diego Torres Villarroel and Francisco de Quevedo, dominated the previous century, the 18th century saw the rise of Neoclassicism and Pre-Romanticism. Neoclassical poetry, championed by Juan Meléndez Valdés, emphasized order, reason, and imitation of classical models. Pre-Romantic poetry, on the other hand, explored themes of intense emotion, metaphysical reflection, and social issues.
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