Spanish Realism: Authors, Themes, and Techniques
Spanish Realism: A 19th-Century Literary Movement
Origins and Development
Realism was a literary movement that sought to explain and analyze reality by exalting individual liberty. Originating in France around 1830, it arrived in Spain in 1870, reaching its peak in the 1880s.
Two Periods of Realism
- Pre-Realism (1843-1868): This period blended realistic and romantic elements. Notable authors include Fernán Caballero (The Seagull) and Pedro A. de Alarcón (The Three-Cornered Hat).
- Fullness of Realism (1875-1898): Initially excessively ideological, by 1881, it shed non-literary and moralizing elements, becoming more objective.
Two Groups of Novelists in Spain
- Conservative or Traditionalist: Their novels idealized rural life and attacked progress. Key figures include Pereda and Valdés.
- Liberal or Progressive: They defended urban society and the progress of the middle class, criticizing religious and political fanaticism. Notable authors include Valera, Galdós, and Clarín.
The Realist Novel
The realist novel aimed to faithfully reproduce an individual’s life, not in isolation but within their environment and society. It served as a tool for research and analysis of society.
Key Innovations of Realism
- Focus on Contemporary Reality: Realism centered on common, everyday life. A recurring theme was the conflict between the individual and society, as well as the interplay between history and private life.
- Critical Stance Towards Society: The novel became a means to expose and change the miseries and problems of everyday life. It served as a polemical weapon, aiming to persuade the reader and draw them towards a particular ideology.
- Creation of Believable Atmospheres: Realistic environments were described objectively, reflecting people’s livelihoods. Urban and rural settings, as well as social groups, gained significant importance.
- Psychological Depth of Characters: Authors meticulously examined characters’ personalities, creating lifelike individuals.
- Objective Portrayal of Reality: The key was to describe eternal reality impersonally, avoiding subjectivity and reflecting it with precision and accuracy.
Techniques and Forms
- Meticulous Documentation: Descriptions were meticulously documented to reflect the environment and the nature of the characters, lending credibility to the story.
- Third-Person Narration: The narrator had knowledge of the present, past, and future, revealing the inner feelings of the characters.
- Austere Language and Style: Realism employed a rich lexicon, abundant in thoroughbred and traditional terms. The style was sober and precise, disregarding beauty for its own sake. It incorporated a broad geographic and social register of language to characterize the characters effectively.
Recurring Themes
- Love and Relationship Problems
- Religion: Explored through the lens of clerical-anticlerical opposition.
- Politics: Critiqued liberalism, despotism, and other political ideologies.
- City vs. Country: Represented the best virtues and the worst vices of each setting.
- Regional Reality: Each author explored the uniqueness of their region.
Notable Authors and Works
Juan Valera
Pepita Jiménez, Luz, Juanita la Larga
Clarín
Adiós Lamb!, Doña Berta, The Madam
Benito Pérez Galdós
Episodios Nacionales
- 1st Series: (Court of Carlos II, The Dance, Zaragoza) War of Independence.
- 2nd Series: (The Luggage of Joseph, Terror, 1824) Political struggles between absolutists and liberals.
- 3rd Series: (Zumalacárregui, The Romantic Courier) First Carlist War.
- 4th Series: (Prim) Era between the Revolution of 1848 and the dethronement of Isabel II.
- 5th Series: (Spain Without a King, Cánovas) Ends with the Restoration.
Novels
Doña Perfecta, Gloria, The Family of León Roch, Fortunata and Jacinta, Grandfather, Mercy