Romanticism in Spain: Literature, Drama, Prose
Romanticism
Romanticism was a cultural and artistic movement that emerged in Germany and England at the beginning of modernity. Although diverse, it laid the foundations of the ideology of the liberal bourgeois state.
Characteristics of Romanticism
- Freedom: Defended individual freedom: moral, social, political, and artistic.
- Subjectivism: Emphasized the importance of the individual and their vision of the world. The opposition between the individual’s aspirations and the social environment created interest in human types rejected by society.
- Historicism: Claimed the historical character of artistic production, with an interest in medieval literature and popular traditions.
- Irrationalism and Evasion: Valued superstitions, legends, and fantastic, mysterious settings.
Themes and Styles of Romantic Literature
The most important themes were freedom, power, justice, and love. Exclamatory statements were common linguistic resources.
Evolution of Romanticism in Spain
- First Stage: Traditionalist, conservative vision, coupled with the defense of Catholicism.
- Second Stage: Consolidation of liberalism, French influence on Romanticism, and the return of exiles.
- Third Stage: German influence, with poetry as a popular form of intimate expression.
The Romantic Drama
Playwrights claimed creative freedom, ignored order, and highlighted didactic and linguistic aspects.
Structure and Discourse
- Division of the work into days, consisting of various scenes.
- Mixture of prose and verse, with a trend towards polymetry.
- Rejection of the rule of three unities.
- Mixture of the tragic and the comic, high-voltage dramatic lyricism, high style and colloquial, simple language.
Don Juan Tenorio
The main character confronts social norms but is redeemed by love. Don Juan kidnaps Inés, whom he falls in love with. He then kills her father. When Don Juan returns, Inés has died of love.
Structure
Two parts: four and three acts, a separation of five years, and closed and open spaces.
Romantic Prose
Romantic prose had three main forms: the historical novel, costumbrismo (manners), and the serial novel.
The Historical Novel
Usually set in the Middle Ages, it did not aspire to accurately reconstruct the past but simply to present romantic conflicts and interests in those settings. Its peak shows the desire for romantic escape. Two notable novels include: *The Youth of Henry the Sufferer* by Larra and *The Lord of Bembibre* by Enrique Gil y Carrasco.
Costumbrismo
The literary expression of *costumbrismo* – the “manners box” – recreated, in a superficial way, the life of mainly the middle class and depicted a series of scenes and types.
The Serial Novel
This genre was published in separate editions of newspapers or deliveries. It told of sentimental conflicts (full of mystery, adventure, and intrigue) featuring established characters.
Larra: The Great Writer of Romantic Prose
Larra’s work was characterized by mixing romantic ideals with the intention of reform and criticism of the Enlightenment. His *articles* deal with various issues:
- Articles of Manners: Reflect on cultural and social uses and values. Larra proposed the modernization and Europeanization of the country.
- Political Reporting: Involves a radical critique full of pessimism that does not exclude social commitment.
- Literary Criticism: Claims creative freedom and defends the relationship between literature and thought.