Rosalía de Castro and Spanish Romanticism: Prose, Theater, and Themes

Rosalía de Castro (1837-1885)

Rosalía de Castro’s work is the result of her innate poetic sensibility, extending beyond the studies of her youth. Although she is the author of novels, she earned her reputation through three books of poetry. Galician Songs, full of reminiscences of the former Galician-Portuguese lyric, presents a cheerful and optimistic author. Follas Novas (New Leaves) reflects her subjective view of the world and her concern for the social problems of her countrymen. In Castilian, On the Banks of Sar addresses issues such as sadness, religiosity, and a desperate search for love. Her lyrical content is predominantly characterized by style and sobriety. Its main themes are pain, loneliness, rejection, and the encounter with death, paying close attention to social issues, particularly migration.

2. Prose

In the early years of the century, a new kind of literature emerged that was published in newspapers: stories, articles of manners, and serials (serial novels). The two most important facets of the prose of the period include the novel of manners and literature. Within the novelistic genre, the historical novel is typically romantic. In the decade from 1820-1830, Walter Scott had a decisive influence. His Scottish novels obey basic rules: a fictional hero is involved in a historic adventure, gets the love of a beautiful lady, and ends up marrying her after many vicissitudes. There are major characters in the story, which gives rise to well-documented reconstructions. This scheme is adopted by the Spanish Mariano José de Larra with The Youth of Henry the Sufferer, José Sancho Saldaña Espronceda in or Castilian de Cuellar, and above all, Enrique Gil y Carrasco‘s Lord of Bembibre. This original work anticipates naturalism by including numerous descriptions of nature and peasant customs of the region. The historical novel follows adventures, which is less rigorous than historical documentation, and the essential element is the accumulation of incidents through which the protagonist finds his place in society. Its best representatives were the French Alexandre Dumas and Eugene Sue. The initiator of this variant in Spain was Manuel Fernández y González (1821-1888), whose works include Men Rodriguez de Sanabria and The Baker of Madrigal. Another subgenre of the time is the social novel, which helped popularize the doctrines of utopian socialism. They tend to be sentimental texts susceptible to Manichaeism. Most notably, the author Wenceslas Ayguals de Izco (1801-1873) achieved great success throughout Europe with Mary, the Daughter of a Laborer (1845).

Costumbrismo

Costumbrismo, a genre much in vogue during the Romantic period, is based on the minute observation of everyday life and occasionally has a moralistic intent. The custom box does not tend to develop a plot or have a closed structure: they are “seen,” with characters who undergo transformations. Thanks to the dissemination of the paper, these tables appear as small satirical sketches, descriptively prosecuting current social and economic policy or philosophizing about general questions. There were journals in this genre such as El Duende Satirist of the Day, The Anonymous Coward by Mariano José de Larra, or the weekly Picturesque Spanish by Ramón de Mesonero Romans. The principal authors were traditionalists like Serafin Estébanez Calderón (1796-1867), who wrote numerous articles collected in a book called Scenes of Andalusia (1847); Ramón Mesonero Romanos (1803-1882), who published his articles under the pseudonym “The Curioso Parlante.” His most important work is Scenes Matritenses (1842). But the highlight of manners was Mariano José de Larra (1809-1837), who published numerous articles under the pseudonym of “Figaro.” Each article was conceived as a closed unit, with a base idea that gave rise to meditation on life in general. They masterfully employ parody. These articles were collected in the book Collection of Articles Dramatic, Literary, Political and Customs. The most famous are The Old Castilian, Come Back Tomorrow, In This Country, The Day of the Dead, 1836.

5. The Theater

Drama was the most characteristic theatrical form of Romanticism, but not in Spain, where it was released after the death of Ferdinand VII (1833). Its structure is varied: they are divided into several events or workshops, without a fixed number. The main theme is love that clashes with social norms and is impossible to achieve. The end is tragic, usually suicide. The historical framework in which the action takes place is the past. The most common scenarios are castles, monasteries, cemeteries, ruins, etc. The characters lack psychological development, and their two main aspirations are freedom and the love of a woman. Verse and prose are mixed, but eventually, verse triumphed with Polarimetry. The language is exalted. The first Spanish romantic dramas that triumphed on stage, both in 1834, were The Conspiracy of Venice (1834) by Francisco Martínez de la Rosa and Macías by Mariano José de Larra. Don Álvaro or the Force of Destiny (1835) by the Duke of Rivas, El Trovador (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez, and Lovers of Teruel (1837) by Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch (Madrid, 1806-1880) also obtained success. The romantic drama that has more importance in Spanish literature is Don Juan Tenorio (1844) by José Zorrilla (1817-1893).

Argument of Don Juan Tenorio

Don Juan leads a dissipated life of duels and love affairs. To win a bet against an opponent, Luis Mejía, he kidnaps Doña Inés, with whom he eventually falls in love, but he kills the girl’s father and must flee. When he returns, she has died of love. In the family vault of the Tenorio, Don Juan is with his beloved’s ghost, who asks him to repent within the time that God has given them both to be saved. Don Juan repents in a scene full of fantastic and sepulchral elements.

Structure of Don Juan Tenorio

The play is divided into two parts, separated by five years. The action of each is set in one night. There is no unity of place since the action takes place at different venues. The work has precedents in Zamora (an author of the eighteenth century) and, above all, The Trickster of Seville by Tirso de Molina. In 1849, the author was successful once again with Traitor, Unacknowledged and Martyr.