Realism and Modernism in 19th and 20th Century Literature

Realism (Nineteenth Century)

Realism reacted against Romantic excesses, subjectivity, imagination, exoticism, and bombastic style. It emphasized the observation of contemporary reality. The novel became the dominant genre. This century marked the heyday of the European novel with authors like Flaubert, Stendhal, and Zola (France); Tolstoy and Dostoevsky (Russia); Dickens (Great Britain); and Eça de Queiroz (Portugal).

Naturalism (1870)

In France, Naturalism emerged, leading to extremely realistic settings. This movement explored the causes of human behavior in light of scientific ideas (determinism, biological inheritance, natural selection). Its theoretical representative was Émile Zola.

In Spain, realism drew on existing literary traditions. Emilia Pardo Bazán introduced naturalistic ideas in essays like The Throbbing Issue.

Features of Realism

  • Objective Observation: Works stemmed from realistic observation and analysis of reality.
  • Contemporary Ambience: Writing reflected the current time.
  • Thesis Approach: Writing was guided by an ideological view.
  • Psychological Analysis: Descriptions of characters included thorough studies of family, education, and past events.
  • Style: Natural, sober language, distinct between narrator and dialogue.
  • Omniscient Narrator: The most common type of narrator.
  • Newspaper Distribution: Realist works were often published in newspapers, leading to a subgenre characterized by its truculence, with authors like Wenceslao Ayguals de Izco and Manuel Fernández y González.

Benito Pérez Galdós

Galdós portrayed ideals, political activities, customs, and conflicts in his novels. National Episodes, his most important historical work, is a fictionalized account of 19th-century Spanish history, comprising five sets of ten volumes each, spanning from 1807 to the beginning of the Restoration (1875).

  • First Series: Includes titles like Trafalgar, reflecting patriotic ideals.
  • Second Series: Presents the rise of the middle class and the struggle between traditionalists and progressives.
  • Later Series (beginning in 1898): Includes titles like Zumalacárregui, O’Donnell, or Prim, offering a pessimistic view of the nation.

Other novels by Galdós:

  • Early Period: Thesis novels attacking religious fanaticism (e.g., Doña Perfecta).
  • Contemporary Novels: Reflecting a changing society (e.g., Fortunata and Jacinta, El amigo Manso, Torment, Miau).
  • Spiritual and Symbolic Novels: Nazario and Mercy.

Galdós also wrote for the theater, adapting his novels (e.g., Reality, Doña Perfecta) and creating original works (e.g., Soul and Life, Electra).

Leopoldo Alas “Clarín”

Clarín’s work includes newspaper articles, notably Solos de Clarín and Palique. His narrative work includes Pipa and Doña Berta. His short stories, like The Lord, and the Rest are Short Stories, Moral Tales, and The Rooster Socrates, focus on character psychology. Famous stories include Adiós, Cordera! and The Duo of Cough. His novels include La Regenta and His Only Son.

Modernism

Modernism was an aesthetic renewal in Latin America influenced by French Parnassianism and Symbolism, as well as decadent English and Italian works. Key figures include Rubén Darío (Profane Prose) and Valle-Inclán (Bohemian Lights).

Themes of Modernism

  • Escapism: Flight from reality and vulgarity.
  • Intimacy: Discomfort with surroundings, melancholy.

Modernist style involved sensual descriptions, metaphors, synesthesia, and neologisms.

Key Authors of Modernism

  • Rubén Darío: Azul, Profane Prose, Songs of Life and Hope.
  • Juan Ramón Jiménez: Arias Tristes, La soledad sonora, Platero y yo.

Generation of ’98

The Generation of ’98 emerged after the Spanish-American War, advocating for societal change. Key figures include Azorín, Baroja, Maeztu, Unamuno, Machado, and Valle-Inclán. Their focus was on Spain’s essence and existential issues.

Themes of the Generation of ’98

  • Existentialism: Temporality, fear of death, religion.
  • Spain: Search for national identity.

Antonio Machado

Machado’s poetry evolved through several stages:

  • Modernist: Solitudes.
  • Castilian: Campos de Castilla.
  • Final: New Songs, Songs to Guiomar.

Avant-Garde

The Avant-Garde aimed to innovate and break with the past. Key movements include Futurism, Dadaism, and Surrealism.

European Isms

  • Futurism (1909): Founded by Marinetti.
  • Dadaism (1916): Founded by Tristan Tzara.
  • Surrealism (1924): Emphasized automatic writing and collage.

Avant-Garde in Spain

Ramón Gómez de la Serna introduced the Avant-Garde in Spain. Key movements include Creationism (Vicente Huidobro) and Ultraism.

Generation of ’27

The Generation of ’27, including Salinas, Guillén, Alberti, Lorca, Cernuda, Aleixandre, Diego, and Alonso, blended tradition and avant-garde. They admired Spanish classics and were influenced by various literary movements.

Features of the Generation of ’27

  • Pure Poetry: Focus on metaphor and image.
  • Surrealism and Rehumanization: Influence of Surrealism.
  • War and Exile: Impact of the Spanish Civil War.

Key Poets of the Generation of ’27

  • Federico García Lorca: Andalusian and popular themes, surrealist influence.
  • Rafael Alberti: Neopopularist, Gongorism, Futurism, Surrealism, political commitment.
  • Luis Cernuda: Theme of unrequited love, plain language.