18th Century Literature: Styles, Genres, and Key Authors
18th-Century Literature: Three Styles
Posbarroco
During the early years of the century, the Baroque style survived in some countries, particularly Spain.
Neoclassicism
The most representative movement of the time, Neoclassicism emphasized uniformity in style. It rejected the mixing of styles, whether in prose or verse, and adhered to “good taste.” Rationality dominated over implausible or fantastical elements, although sentimental and didactic elements were welcomed in fables and dramas. Enlightened writers conformed to classical forms and combined them with a simple style. Rococo literature, a more elaborate and sensory style, also developed during this period. Notable authors include N. Boileau (“Poetic Art”) and Luzán (“Poetic”).
Preromanticism
Emerging in the latter half of the 18th century in England and Germany, Preromanticism rejected rationalism and its rules. It emphasized authentic feeling and incorporated a new sensitivity to nature. In Germany, the “Sturm und Drang” (Storm and Stress) movement, with authors like Herder, Goethe, and Schiller, marked the beginning of Romanticism.
Literary Genres
The dominant literary genres were essays and philosophical narratives. Illustrated literature expressed ideas through prose, including essays, utopias, speeches, epistolary novels, and criticism. This significantly modernized language. During the Preromanticism period, lyric poetry, drama, and narrative began to flourish.
The Poetry of the 18th Century
The rationalist climate and classicism of the time were not conducive to emotional and original lyricism. The Enlightenment viewed poetry as a lesser genre, valued primarily for its didactic potential.
Neoclassical Poetry
Utilitarian and adhering to classical models, Neoclassical poetry served a didactic purpose. However, a lyrical Rococo style also emerged. Notable poets include Pope (“The Rape of the Lock”), Klopstock (“The Messiah”), and J. Meléndez Valdés. Two trends dominated Neoclassical poetry:
- The Fable: A story featuring animals that teaches a moral lesson, the fable was ideally suited to Neoclassical didacticism. It was modeled after Jean de La Fontaine. In Spain, Tomas de Iriarte and Felix Maria de Samaniego were prominent fabulists.
- The Ode, Satire, Epistle: These forms cultivated a social and pedagogical character.
Poetry also included Anacreontic or Rococo idylls with pastoral love themes, as well as themes of friendship and the pleasure of wine.
Pre-Romantic Poetry
Pre-Romantic poetry emphasized the expression of intimacy, nature, and creative freedom. Key authors include:
- British Authors: Young (“Night”), Blake (“Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience”), and Macpherson (“Ossian”)
- German Authors: Schiller (“Ode to Joy”), Goethe (“Roman Elegies”), and Herder (“Folk Songs”)
Narrative Prose in the 18th Century
The 18th century saw a renewal of prose essays through the work of French and English novelists. The second half of the century witnessed the rise of the intimate novel.
Illustrated Prose
The most brilliant illustrated prose appeared in essays and narrative essays (short stories and novels). Notable essayists include Montesquieu, who wrote a fundamental work on the separation of powers (“The Spirit of the Laws”); Voltaire, who defended political and individual freedoms, religious tolerance, and progress (“Philosophical Letters,” “Philosophical Dictionary”); and Diderot, who directed the “Encyclopédie” and championed the supremacy of reason over religious dogma (“Philosophical Thoughts” and “Letter on the Blind”). In Spain, Feijoo and Jovellanos stand out.
Narrative
Narratives included memoirs, travelogues, and adventure stories. They reflected on social reality and human nature. Sometimes they took the form of letters, a series of cards where the author appears as a witness to the events described. Works in France inaugurated the travelogue model, often in epistolary form, such as Voltaire’s “Candide,” Diderot’s “Jacques the Fatalist,” and Montesquieu’s “Persian Letters.” Voltaire also published other satirical narratives (“Philosophical Tales” and “Zadig”). In Spain, José Cadalso’s “Letters from Morocco,” modeled on Montesquieu, is noteworthy. In England, Daniel Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe” and Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” marked the beginning of a century of brilliant narrative.
Pre-Romantic Prose
Preromanticism saw the emergence of the sentimental novel and other forms of intimate literature, such as diaries. Epistolary literature continued but adapted to the pre-Romantic tone.
Theater in the 18th Century
The first half of the century saw the continuation of Neoclassical theater, which followed the classical models of Greek and Latin playwrights and French classical dramatists of the 17th century. In the second half of the century, Romantic theater emerged with great vitality in Germany.
Neoclassical Theater
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