Spanish Literature: Romanticism and Realism
Romanticism
Characteristics of Romantic Literature
Romantic literature is characterized by the emergence of new subjects and new forms.
- New Issues: Extreme pessimism, love as an absolute passion, the reflection of human feelings in nature, the idealization of the past, and interest in the exotic and picturesque.
- New Forms: Mixtures of prose and verse, the blending of literary genres, plays that break the rules, and prose with historicist traditions.
Mariano José de Larra
Born in Madrid in 1809, Mariano José de Larra lived in France until the age of 9. He committed suicide in 1836 due to a failed love affair.
Larra was primarily a journalist. In his articles, signed under the pseudonym Figaro, he criticized aspects of Spanish society from a liberal perspective.
Usual Items: Articles that reflected scenes of everyday life and criticized the shortcomings of society.
José de Espronceda
Born in Almendralejo in 1808, José de Espronceda had an eventful life. He was exiled and returned to Spain after the death of Fernando VII, dedicating himself to literature, journalism, and politics.
His rebellion, passion, and conviction that poetry was a political weapon made him an example of a liberal romantic.
His work includes two narrative poems: The Student of Salamanca and The Devil World. Other poems, such as the Pirate Song (one of the most famous poems in Spanish literature), show the social dimension of his poetry.
José Zorrilla
José Zorrilla (Valladolid, 1817) became known as a poet with some verses he composed on the death of Larra. He wrote romances and legends in verse. His success spread through his work as a playwright, most notably with Don Juan Tenorio.
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
Born in Seville in 1836 and died in Madrid in 1870 from tuberculosis, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer was a late Romantic author. His most important work is The Rhymes (Rimas), a collection of 84 short compositions, generally with assonance and rhyme, emphasizing the use of parallelism and anaphora.
Realism and Naturalism
Realism
Born in France, Realism focused on the observation of reality, as opposed to Romanticism. Its characteristics include:
- Characters: Taken from contemporary life and described in detail.
- Settings: Real and described in detail.
- Themes: Expressed the interests and conflicts of different social classes.
- Language: Adapted to the character.
- Narrator: Omniscient. Some novels contain moral information, describing issues to improve society.
Naturalism
Naturalism emerged in the late 19th century. Its features include:
- Application of the experimental method of observation of human beings.
- Importance of biological inheritance.
- Interest in the outcasts of society.
Benito Pérez Galdós
Benito Pérez Galdós (Las Palmas, 1843) reflected a progressive and liberal mindset in his novels, always in favor of social progress. His most important work, National Episodes (Episodios Nacionales), consists of 46 books recounting the major events in Spain’s history.
Leopoldo Alas Clarín
Leopoldo Alas, “Clarín” (Zamora, 1852), based his work on reality, treating characters in great detail and using natural language. His most famous work is La Regenta.