Spanish Literature from Romanticism to the 20th Century
Spanish Literature: Romanticism to the 20th Century
Romanticism
José de Espronceda
This author, in both his life and work, embodies the quintessential Spanish Romantic poet. His poetry reflects the two main tendencies of Romantic poetry:
Narrative Poetry:
The Student of Salamanca exemplifies the narrative trend, showcasing the period’s characteristics, including a gloomy atmosphere and formal aspects like Polarimetry. The Devil World, an unfinished long poem, also belongs to this trend, offering Espronceda’s reflections on human life.
Lyric Poetry:
Works like Song of the Pirate and The Beggar, collected in his book Poems, represent his lyric poetry. Disappointment is a central theme in these works.
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
Bécquer emerged during the decline of the Romantic movement in Europe but represents the culmination of intimate Spanish Romanticism. He is considered the first modern Spanish poet.
His prose work, Legends, a collection of short stories featuring extraordinary or supernatural events, is highly regarded. His poetry, published posthumously by friends, is primarily contained in Rhymes. The universe of Rhymes explores two main aspects: poetry itself and the human experience, particularly the complexities of love.
Rosalía de Castro
Writing in a similar vein to Bécquer, Rosalía de Castro’s style is simple and intimate. Her notable works include Follas Novas (Galician) and On the Banks of the Sar (Castilian). She masterfully harmonizes lyrical subjectivity and emotional depth with contemplative observations of nature.
Mariano José de Larra
Larra’s literary work falls within the genre of newspaper articles, and he became the first major Spanish journalist. He championed progress and modernity. His articles can be categorized into three groups:
- Articles of Customs: Short compositions offering social critiques. Examples include Castilian Back Tomorrow and other satirical pieces.
- Articles of Political Criticism: Expressing his political views. Notable works include Three More Than Two and The Day of the Dead, 1836.
- Literary Criticism: Disseminating his literary theories and advocating for a writer’s social engagement. His prose is characterized by clarity, directness, and irony.
José Zorrilla
Zorrilla’s most famous work is Don Juan Tenorio, the most popular Romantic drama, which reinterprets the myth of Don Juan.
Realism
Benito Pérez Galdós
Galdós is a towering figure of Spanish Realism. His novels offer a monumental, tolerant, and critical portrayal of life and conflicts during his time. His narrative can be divided into two sections:
- The National Episodes:
- The Novels: These are further divided into three periods:
Novels of the First Period (1870):
Characterized by thesis-driven works that combat bigotry and societal despotism. Doña Perfecta is a prime example.
Contemporary Novels (1880):
This period includes major titles like Fortunata and Jacinta and Miau. Galdós takes an objective approach, tracing the lives of diverse characters from various social backgrounds.
Spiritual and Symbolic Novels (1890):
These novels delve into the inner lives of characters, exploring moral values and ideals. Mercy is a representative work.
Leopoldo Alas “Clarín”
With a progressive and liberal stance, Clarín advocated for socially engaged literature to denounce political corruption, despotism, and superstition. His most prominent work is the novel La Regenta. While the story centers on Ana Ozores’ adultery, the true protagonist is the city of Vetusta.
Clarín’s technique involves analyzing the contrasting social environment and the characters’ inner depths. He blends realistic and naturalistic elements, employing narrative innovations like flashbacks and free indirect style.
Modernism and the Generation of ’98
Antonio Machado
Born in Seville but raised in Castile, Machado (1875-1939) developed a progressively radical ideology and a profound existential humanism. His poetry synthesizes classical forms, symbolism, sensory imagery, and introspection. Recurring themes include the passage of time, nostalgia for lost youth, unrequited love, and the interplay between landscape and mood.
Machado’s work can be divided into three stages:
- First Stage (Solitudes): Focuses on introspection, loneliness, melancholy, the transience of life, and lost havens.
- Second Stage (Campos de Castilla): Reflects his integration into the Generation of ’98, expressing dissatisfaction with social realities and sublimating a dematerialized and idealized landscape.
- Third Stage (New Songs): Marked by a more contemplative and judgmental tone.
Miguel de Unamuno
Unamuno (1864-1936), a university professor renowned for his vast knowledge, excelled as a playwright and poet, employing vibrant sensory language and imagery. He stands out as a prominent essayist, intellectual, and thinker.
The novel was the genre most revitalized by Unamuno. His existential novels reflect his intellectual stance, philosophical worldview, and ideological concerns. Examples include Mist, Abel Sanchez, Aunt Tula, and Saint Manuel Bueno, Martyr. Unamuno coined the term “Nivola” for his novels to distinguish them from realistic fiction. His language is more intellectual, and he manipulates objective reality according to his own laws and standards.
Pío Baroja
Baroja, a solitary and reclusive figure, held a radical pessimism towards human nature and society. He criticizes a corrupt society, viewing life as a struggle where the weak are always defeated.
In his literary work, Baroja combines the despair and anguish of Romanticism with the deterministic vision of Realism and Modernist forms. This is evident in his impressionistic descriptions, psychological portrayals, and tendency towards nostalgic evocation. He creates ambiguous spaces and characters, described with quick, impressionistic brushstrokes. Notable works include The Way of Perfection, The Search, Zalacaín the Adventurer, The Concerns of Shanti Andía, and The Tree of Knowledge.
Ramón del Valle-Inclán
Valle-Inclán sought to transform his life and work into a constant aesthetic invention, blending reality and fantasy. Always focused on innovation, particularly in form, his work is guided by a unique concept of freedom.
An exceptional playwright who elevated Spanish drama to new heights of modernity, Valle-Inclán also revolutionized the novel, breaking with traditional concepts. He began with the Sonatas, a work of luxuriant Modernism, rich in imagery and flamboyant language, recounting the adventures of the Marquis de Bradomín.
In his later phase, he aimed to distort classical stylistic rules through the grotesque, seeking to unmask life through exaggeration and reveal its true image. Examples of his grotesque novels include Tirano Banderas and The Deceased Countess.
The 20th Century
José Ortega y Gasset
. Ratiovitalistic Formula doctrine and vital reason, synthesis of pure reason and pure vitality: the reason is a function of life and life is meaningless without reason. Aesthetic ideas contained in The Dehumanization of Art, where they seek the pure aesthetic pleasure, oblivious to the emotional, sentimental and human, and the ideas about the novel, which believes that the new novel must be an intellectual and dehumanized gender , which gives more importance to the form or style action and characters, and pursue the pure aesthetic enjoyment. In Invertebrate Spain (1921) faces sociological issues.