Key Movements in Spanish Literature: Espronceda to the Present
Espronceda’s Poetic Production
Lyric Poems
These poems deal with various issues, such as the defense of the marginalized (e.g., The Pirate Song, The Beggar) or his political ideals of youth. They often express lamentation for loss. Espronceda’s poetic style is a reflection of his passionate temperament, characterized by rhythmic verse, sonorous language, violent contrasts, and surprising innovations.
Narrative Poems
Two of Espronceda’s narrative poems are extensive: The Student of Salamanca and The Devil World.
The Student of Salamanca
This work is set in the 17th century and stars Félix de Montemar, a Don Juan character who symbolizes the exalted and rebellious vitality of Romanticism. The style is gimmicky and bombastic, featuring striking, gruesome images and full of violent contrasts.
The Devil World
This poem offers a mix of different genres, including lyrical fragments, narrative sections, and theatrical poetry. The poem, which remained unfinished, has ideological intentions, demonstrating that the good nature of man is corrupted by society, which makes him selfish and evil.
Costumbrismo: Bridge Between Romanticism and Realism
Costumbrismo serves as the bridge between Romanticism and Realism. Writers in this movement were interested in reality, often comparing the past with the present. They sought to remember and treat the main traditions of the time. Ramón de Mesonero Romanos was a key figure in Costumbrismo, focusing on the social life of Madrid and acting as a chronicler of his era.
The Generation of 1868 and the Structuralist Novel
Realism (dating from 1830) was introduced in Spain with a significant delay. The Fountain of Gold (Galdós) is considered the first structuralist novel, published in 1870. It is set during a period of Bourbon crisis, ending with the command of Alfonso XII and initiating the first long period of political stability known as the Restoration. Spain began to modernize.
The social process during the Restoration found its expression in the ideological sphere, where defenders of progressive theses arose against traditional Catholic sectors. This conflict produced what is known as the G68 (Generation of 1868), which ideologically manifested itself in the novel of thesis (74-84), where the distinction between good and evil depends on the writer’s ideology.
Spanish Realism presents a marked regionalist tendency. Writers usually set their works in environments that are closest to them:
- Valera (Andalusia)
- Pereda (Cantabria)
- Galdós (Madrid)
- Clarín (Asturias)
- Emilia Pardo Bazán (Galicia)
La Regenta by Clarín: Social Critique and Naturalism
La Regenta is the masterpiece of Clarín and is considered one of the most important novels in Spanish Literature. This is due to its detailed portrait of a provincial city (Vetusta / Oviedo), which serves as a representation of Spanish society during the Restoration.
Clarín subjects all social strata of the city to ironic criticism: the decadent aristocracy, the corrupt clergy, the hypocritical high society, and so on. All this creates an asphyxiating and oppressive social atmosphere with which the protagonist, Ana Ozores, clashes. Her sensitive temperament leads her to take refuge in dreamy mysticism, but she falls into the hands of Álvaro, a substitute for her romantic ideals. The confrontation between Vetusta and Ana results in her defeat and marginalization.
The great importance of the environmental and social pressure on the protagonist brings the work closer to the theories of Naturalism. It is a novel of little action, but of great psychological importance, which is acquired through the descriptions of the characters and the environments. Clarín combines the objective, distant point of view with that of the omniscient author.
Spanish Literature: Postwar to the Present Day
The postwar period presented a bleak situation for writers and literature, which was subjected to strong censorship.
- 1940s: Two currents emerged:
- “Rooted literature” (which implies intimism).
- “Unrooted literature” (realistic).
- 1950s: The tendencies of the 40s led to social literature. The writer became aware of historical and social reality, and the work became a vehicle for protest. (In 1952, Spain was removed from the UN denunciation and experienced a slight liberalization.)
- 1960s: Literature returned to the intimate, covering topics such as the evocation of childhood and adolescence as a lost paradise, or the transience of life. The Novísimos of the 60s arose, proclaiming the autonomy of art.
- Postnovísimos: Following the Novísimos, literature included trends such as symbolic rurality, Neosurrealism, and the search for new narrative forms through experimentation.
- 1980s onwards: Writers enjoyed democratic freedoms. The novel sought foreign inspiration and abandoned narrative experiments. Bold proposals emerged in theater and drama.