Thematic Elements in Spanish Literature: Bécquer, Count Lucanor, and Galdós
Thematic Elements in Bécquer’s Legends
- In Bécquer’s legends, several themes of Romanticism are present: tragic or impossible love, truncated by society or circumstances, the search for an unattainable ideal, diabolical wickedness, and rebellion.
- Other themes reflect the nature and sensitivity of the author and his perception of reality: music as a sublime art form, intuition, and religious faith.
- Love and Women
- Sentimentality
- Fantasy versus Reality
- History and Geography
- Good and Evil
- Afterlife
- Nature
- Art
- Objects
Thematic Elements in Count Lucanor
- *Count Lucanor* is a collection of 50 stories. One is attributed to Don Juan Manuel, but it is not known which one.
- It has a simple structure: Count Lucanor has a problem, and Patronio advises him by telling a story with a moral at the end. The final lesson is written in verse that sums it up.
Features of the Moral
- Clarity: The whole book follows a pattern: a problem, a story, and a solution.
- Brevity: The stories are short.
- The style is simple and useful. The power of the story was what mattered, not how it was told.
It has two prefaces explaining the importance of morality in guiding actions rather than just teaching.
Major Issues of Morality
- Honor and State
- Education of Young People
- Idea of Fame (people speaking well of you after death)
- Concern for the Defense of their Land
- The Salvation of the Soul
- Story: Poverty
- Misogynistic Tradition: It applies a doctrine to help his friend Count Lucanor make a decision.
Theme: When a woman is brave, a man has trouble. Medieval society dictates that men must dominate women.
*Mercy*: Stage and Social Context
Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920)
He was called “the garbancero.” His work was not initially well received. Born in 1843 in Las Palmas, he is considered the great author of Madrid. In 1889, he became part of the Spanish Royal Academy and began as a journalist.
His first novel was *The Golden Fountain*. Other novels include *The Series of National Events*, *The Disinherited*, *The Gentle Friend*, *Nazarín*, and *Mercy* (1897).
In 1912, he became blind and broke. Some writers organized a collection to help him. He toured England and died in 1920.
Features of Benito Pérez Galdós
- Powerful painter of environments and souls.
- He created unique characters with many details. A great psychologist.
- His style was very pedestrian and spontaneous.
- He intends to attract attention but is simple and easy to read.
*Mercy* (Examination with Text)
Realism and Naturalism (Mid-19th Century)
- This literary trend was born in Europe after Romanticism.
- The most important author is Émile Zola.
Features Resulting in Enabling Historical Literature
- Appearance of the Bourgeoisie: The dominant social class. An ideological current called “Liberalism” appears alongside the bourgeoisie.
- Proletarian Movements: Socialism, communism, and anarchism emerge in opposition to the bourgeoisie.
- Positivism: A new experimental method based on evidence, facts, and observation to accurately reflect reality. Authors such as Mendel and Darwin.
- Progressive abandonment of romantic tendencies, such as subjectivism, idealism, disagreement with the world, and revolutionary spirit. Now, there is a calmer approach, seeking to assimilate what happens, not through revolution but through observation of reality.
*Mercy* belongs to a stage in Galdós’s work known as the “spiritual period or contemporary Spanish fiction,” between 1892 and 1897. Novels from this stage include:
*The Crazy House*, *Grandpa*, *Malmo*…