Spanish Literary Periods: Baroque to Naturalism
Baroque Theater (17th Century)
Baroque Theater Features
- Collapse of the rules of unity (place, time, and action).
- Mixture of tragedy and comedy.
- Parallel actions, not a single action.
- Division of comedy into three acts: the problem arises in Act 1, is developed in the second, and concludes in the third.
- Interspersed lyric elements.
- Main themes are love and honor (often recovered with vengeance).
Example work: Francisco de Quevedo – Life of Don Pablos the Sharper.
18th Century: Enlightenment & Neoclassicism
Enlightenment Thought
Late 17th and early 18th centuries. Thought renewal aiming to shift the traditional mindset. Essential features:
- Trust in reason as the sole means to achieve progress and happiness.
- Observation and experience as the foundation of science.
- Moral truth is independent of religious beliefs.
The Encyclopedia was very important in spreading Enlightenment ideas.
18th Century Literature
18th Century Theater
Respecting the rule of three units (place, time, and action). Radical separation between tragic and comic. All imaginary, fantastic, and mysterious elements are banned.
18th Century Poetry (Neoclassicism)
Philosophical, clear and simple style, governed by order and good taste. Didactic genre par excellence. (Examples: Feijoo and Jovellanos).
Example work: Leandro Fernández de Moratín – The Maidens.
Late 18th Century Shift
Towards the end of the 18th century, feelings begin to take precedence over reason. Emphasis on expressing privacy. Shocking shows are preferred.
Romanticism
Romanticism Characteristics
Most representative genre: Drama. Characterized by breaking the imposing Neoclassical structure and prioritizing artistic freedom. Mixes prose and verse, comic and tragic. Shifts in place and time occur continuously. The most used form is historical drama.
Romantic Heroes & Heroines
Romantic Hero: Mysterious, beautiful, loves freedom, seeks happiness but is often met with misfortune.
Heroine: Falls in love with the hero; misfortune follows them; the only solution is death.
Romantic Works & Authors
- Martínez de la Rosa – The Conspiracy of Venice
- García Gutiérrez – Il Trovatore
- Zorrilla – Don Juan Tenorio
- Ángel de Saavedra – Don Álvaro, or the Force of Fate
Gustavo Adolfo Becquer
Known for short narratives exploring love and mysteries beyond reason’s grasp.
Becquer’s Legends
Legends Characteristics
- Pessimistic and melancholy (longing for the unattainable)
- Attraction to medieval landscapes and nature at night and in darkness
- Mysterious and incomprehensible subjects
Becquer’s Style
- Delicate style
- Abundance of detailed descriptions (metaphors, enumerations)
- Use of repetition (anaphora, parallelism)
Example work: The Moonbeam.
Realism
Literary movement focused on reflecting reality objectively.
Realism Features
- Observation of reality (‘the mirror of life’).
- Social portraiture.
- Critical focus, though rarely revolutionary.
- Triumph of the novel. Use of omniscient narrator and understated style.
Realism Works & Authors
- Benito Pérez Galdós – Fortunata and Jacinta
- Leopoldo Alas ‘Clarín’ – The Regent’s Wife
Naturalism
A literary current representing an extreme form of Realism.
Naturalism Characteristics
In formal Spanish literature, its tenets were more ideological than purely formal.
Naturalism Philosophy & Focus
Established philosophical bases from Émile Zola: Materialism (denying the spiritual realm) and Determinism (stating that human beings are driven by biological inheritance and social circumstances).
Novels often focus on marginal environments and characters.