18th Century Spanish Literature: Key Authors and Characteristics
Spanish Literature in the 18th Century: Characteristics and Authors
The Age of Enlightenment and Its Principles
The 18th century is often called the Age of Enlightenment. This designation reflects the supreme value of reason proclaimed by the thinkers and scientists of the time. The scientific and philosophical movement forged from this rationalist view of history and reality is known as the Enlightenment. Enlightenment thought was based on a set of principles coined and advocated by a minority of intellectuals:
- Humanity: The enlightened had immense confidence in the possibilities of humanity. They believed in a natural law, above all human laws, that makes men free and equal.
- Reason: The greatest quality humans possess is reason, used to discover truth and move away from fanaticism and superstition.
- Progress: The Enlightenment ideal was to achieve material and spiritual progress through sound world management and education.
- Science: Science had a practical, utilitarian purpose for the enlightened; the important thing was not knowledge itself, but the benefit it could bring to humanity.
Neoclassicism in Art and Literature
In art, the 18th century attempted to regain the proper balance of classical Greece and Rome and issued rules that sought to regulate all artistic production. This movement, based on French models, was given the name of Neoclassicism.
Key Features of 18th-Century Spanish Literature
18th-century Spanish literature produced few works of lasting interest, but its main features are:
- Didacticism: The desire to teach and impart knowledge on various issues was a constant in 18th-century literature, which had a didactic and utilitarian purpose. Genres that developed included satire, didactic prose, essays, letters, travel books, fables, and newspaper articles.
- Clarity of Style: Writers aimed to use a cultured, colloquial language, rejecting the excesses of the Baroque period and advocating a clear, understandable style, in accordance with the rules of good taste.
- Elitism: Literary activity was directed at minorities, as writers often despised the “mob,” thus adopting an elitist attitude.
Prominent Authors and Their Contributions
Theorists and Thinkers
- Benito Feijoo
- Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
- José Cadalso
Poetry
- Juan Meléndez Valdés
- Tomás de Iriarte
Theater and the Rule of Three Unities
Theater was a genre that led to heated controversy, as it was considered an important forum for the dissemination of new ideas and attitudes. The stage was considered the best means of mass communication and propaganda for reformist ideas. Cultured authors rejected all 17th-century Spanish theater because its plots were not credible and strove to create a theater that respected the rule of the three unities. This rule required:
- The development of a play to refer to a single plot, without parallel or secondary issues (unity of action).
- All events taking place in the same location or similar (unity of place).
- The action taking place within one day or less (unity of time).
Leandro Fernández de Moratín, in his best-known and most-performed comedy, El sí de las niñas (1806), managed to strictly adhere to the rule of three unities while also being didactic.