19th Century Spanish Literature: Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism

Posted on Sep 26, 2024 in Latin

19th Century Spanish Literature Overview

Duque de Rivas: Don Alvaro, or the Force of Destiny (Tragic end, mix of verse and prose, varying verse lengths, blend of tragedy and comedy, breaks traditional rules)
José Zorrilla: Juan Tenorio (Similar to Don Alvaro)
Espronceda: The Pirate Song (Narrative poetry, focus on social norms and marginal characters, preference for octosyllabic verse)
Larra: Newspaper articles (Narrative, critiques Spanish customs, politics, and society)
Rosalía de Castro: Follas Novas (Intimate lyric poetry written in Galician, evokes her homeland)
Bécquer: Rimas (79 lyric poems characterized by brevity, intimacy, musicality, varied rhythms, concise language, and nature metaphors)

Realism was an artistic movement that aimed to represent reality in accordance with the interests of bourgeois society.

Naturalism was an extreme form of realism that proposed to apply scientific principles to the literature of the period.

Focus on analysis of environments and social groups and their influence on characters’ personalities
Replaced the emphasis on emotions and feelings with objective observation

Emphasized the scientific method, allowing analysis of individuals in society and family to determine their behavior

France: Originated in the first half of the 19th century. Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary is a key example.
England: Charles Dickens excelled with novels like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations.
Russia: Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment and Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Anna Karenina are notable works.

First Spanish Realist Novel: La Gaviota by Cecilia Böhl de Faber
Serial Novels: Novels serialized in newspapers, achieving great public success.
Prominent Authors: José María de Pereda (Sotileza, Peñas Arriba), Juan Valera (Pepita Jiménez, Juanita la Larga), and Benito Pérez Galdós
Benito Pérez Galdós: Born in Las Palmas, journalist and MP, died blind and destitute. Used techniques like the omniscient narrator, direct dialogue, and monologue. Works include Trafalgar, La Fontana de Oro, Un Voluntario Realista, Mendizábal, Navaez, and La Primera República.

Key Figure: Emilia Pardo Bazán (founded the Nuevo Teatro Crítico magazine and a women’s library). Works include Los Pazos de Ulloa and La Madre Naturaleza, focusing on the Galician rural world and moral decay.
Clarín (Leopoldo Alas): Born in Zamora, studied law, professor of law in Zaragoza and Oviedo, Republican, critical of social injustice. Wrote novels and stories (e.g., ¡Adiós, Cordera!, La Pipa). La Regenta is considered his best work and one of the best Spanish novels.
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez: Born in Valencia, founded the newspaper El Pueblo. Works include Arroz y Tartana, La Barraca, and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (adapted into a film).