Spanish Enlightenment: Literature, Theater, and Social Reform
The Spanish Enlightenment: Literature, Theater, and Social Reform
While the Spanish monarchy suffered an internal crisis of succession, reformers began to imitate the European model of teaching. The writings of this period had a didactic purpose and imposed on the population thought that was best for them. The author of “Whether the Girls”, Leandro Fernandez de Moratin, emphasized neoclassical theater using its new features. The theater of this era, as well as other genres, did not focus on fun but sought to implement good behavior while respecting power. The book teaches these values of submission through D. Paquita and Don Carlos, who are dominated under the authority of Mr. Irene and Don Diego. This contention of the liberty of young people can be seen when the feeling among them is repressed because it is not accepted by their guardians. In the end, their love is only supported when Irene and Don Diego see that their interests do not suffer from this change, i.e., Diego will continue to protect someone in his old age, and Irene can save their family’s economic plight.
The Enlightenment was a movement that occurred in Europe, led by Enlightenment thinkers, which tried to give the people an education. This period had the following characteristics: rationalism, which supported that all thought is based on knowledge; empiricism, having faith in experimentation to prove it; and criticism of everything above that is not based on knowledge, seeking greater knowledge. They chased progress through reforms to reach an ideal society. There are three stages: post-Baroque, which was influenced by the Baroque; Neoclassicism, which returns to the Greco-Roman; and finally, pre-Romanticism, which again expresses feelings in art. Among different genres and trends, the prose essay was highlighted, in which the author expressed his opinion on some subjects. Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, Benito Jeronimo Feijo (who wrote Teatro Critico Universal and Scholarly Letters Weird), and Jose Cadalso (Moroccan Letters) were highlighted. In prose, the novel was low, and narrative fiction practically disappeared.
In poetry, three movements were found, which were linked to the stages of the period: Rococo poetry, where there is refinement, beauty, love… In poetry, texts are illustrated with a didactic purpose, which highlighted Nicolas Fernandez Moratin, Jose Melendez Valdes, and Cadalso. The importance of a moral fable of Samaniego, e.g.
Illustrated poetry within a subgenre was linked to the past: the Anacreon. Sensualist poetry, in which emotions were expressed, countered intimate reason. Melendez Valdes, Jose Manuel Alvarez Cienfuegos, and Quintana were stressed. In the genre of theater, large changes were shown, moving to a separation between tragedy and comedy, and also returning to the rule of the three unities, where the action occurred on one site, in one place, and at one time. It mimicked human actions of the time and used a clear and simple language. It had two purposes: to please the public and teach. There were several types of theater: the spectacular, where they rode great decorum; the novel, which came influenced by the previous century; and costumbrista, which was humorous, highlighted the farce of Ramon de la Cruz, for example. In tragedy, Jose Cadalso (Sancho Garcia) and Vicente Garcia were highlighted, and in comedy, Nicolas Fernandez de Moratin (Hormesindia, Lucretia).