Romantic Poetry in 19th-Century Spain: Evolution & Themes
The Lyric of the 19th Century: Poetry as Self-Expression
Poetry is the genre par excellence to express subjectivity. In the 19th century, with Romanticism, poetry re-emerged with vigor and became the natural range of Romantic writers, concerned about feelings and self-expression. In the second half of the 19th century, with the advent of Realism and an objective view of reality, lyric poetry experienced another period of decline. Lyric poetry evolved dramatically: first with Modernism, conceived as a luxury and refinement of the senses, and later with the Avant-garde, which radically subverted the concept of beauty and sought new and original ways of poetic expression.
Romantic Poetry
In the first half of the 19th century, poetry became the best tool for spreading Romantic ideas. The desire for freedom and rebellion found an ideal channel in lyric poetry. With this lyrical poetry, narrative poetry was retrieved, recounting legends and historical events. Key figures include José de Espronceda, José Zorrilla, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, and Rosalía de Castro. For these authors, poetry experienced a revolution.
Themes of Romantic Poetry
Romantic poets are characterized by the clash between their ideals and the world’s standards, which they considered unfair. The struggle between the idealistic spirit and harsh reality provokes a feeling of frustration. Common themes include:
- Love: With a twofold nature:
- Idealized love: Conceived as a sublime feeling that causes a state of supreme happiness.
- Tragic love: Presented as a sweeping force of will that dominates and leads to vexation or doom.
- Existence: Life is a source of agony; therefore, death is conceived as a liberation. Bitterness and loneliness are part of this tragic view of life.
- Nature: The landscape is a projection of the Romantic poet’s feelings. It describes a grim and violent nature: storms, dark woods, etc.
- Evasion: Vital disappointment causes the poet to flee from their immediate reality, either to exotic and distant places (the East) or to the past (the Middle Ages).
- Liberty: Romantics yearn for freedom; therefore, they despise rules and confront them with rebellion, pride, and arrogance. Marginal characters (pirates) are used as idealizations of freedom.
- Country: They extol indigenous culture and see it as a valuable heritage that must be defended.
Formal Innovations in Romanticism
Main features:
- New Metric Combinations: The Romantic poet uses, reproduces, and invents all metric combinations, with verses of varying length to achieve varied rhythms. The fundamental metric form is adapted to the expression of feeling, and the musicality of the poem is key. The most common verses are *silva*, octaves, *tercetos*, and *romances*.
- Rhyme: It is one of the most used resources by poets. Acute rhyme is often used, which enhances the musical effect of the verse.
- Emphatic Style: The poem should be able to transmit emotions. Emphatic and gimmicky language is used, full of rhetorical figures: exclamations, hyperbatons, etc.
- Symbols: The overflowing imagination of the Romantic fosters the use of images, metaphors, and comparisons in which a relationship is established between the world and the poet’s moods. Romantic poetry is full of symbols and characters that allude to the yearning for freedom.
Evolution of the Romantic Lyric
Romantic ideas were slow to settle in Spain. Lyric poetry in Spain experienced a clear evolution from the typical Romantic forms and themes, represented by José de Espronceda, to a more intimate, thoughtful, and refined poem, whose exponents are Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Rosalía de Castro.
- Impetuous Romanticism: In the first half of the 19th century, Spanish poetry reflected the Romantic frenzy. We find a passionate lyrical and hyperbolic tone, with a very pronounced sense of rhythm. In the work of José de Espronceda, one can see the vehemence of passion and the themes of Romanticism itself: love, freedom, rebellion, etc. His production includes two poems, “El estudiante de Salamanca” and “El diablo mundo.”
- Intimate Romanticism: From the last half of the century, Spanish Romantic lyric poetry was stripped of its impetuous and emotional tone for a more intimate poetry. Bécquer’s Romantic poetry debugged shrillness and defended a serene and simple style. His poetry initiates a new path in search of sensation, mystery, and imagination. Lyrics are a vehicle for understanding the human soul, and the word becomes a poetic symbol of the ineffable. This conception of poetry is the basis of Symbolism. Within intimate Romanticism, Rosalía de Castro’s compositions also stand out, such as “En las orillas del Sar.”