Spanish Romanticism in the 19th Century: Literature and Theater
Spanish Romanticism in the 19th Century
Historical Context of Spain in the 19th Century: Romanticism
Among the characteristics of Romanticism are:
- Irrationalism: It denies that reason can fully explain reality.
- Individualism and Subjectivism: Different from others, the individual asserts their ego against the surrounding world, which leads to loneliness.
- Idealism: A predilection for absolutes, for the ideal.
- Disenchantment: The clash between the self and reality in the Romantic artist produces a deep disappointment.
- Evasion: This dissatisfaction makes Romantic artists escape reality. They take refuge in their inner world (dreams, mystery, the supernatural), looking to the past of the Middle Ages, to the exotic, such as the East.
- Nature: A rejection of the sweet and classic style.
Romanticism in Spain
Two trends are perceived: the conservative, represented by the Duke of Rivas, and the liberal, represented by Zorrilla, Espronceda, and Larra.
Romantic Poetry
Poetic themes include freedom, the ideal woman, disappointment in love, melancholy, death, the exotic, and the legendary. These feelings are connected by a landscape that reflects them (night, moon, cemeteries). Formally, there is a clear intention of renewal. New accentual rhythms appear, and the language is cultured and rhetorical.
There are two types of poetry:
- Epic or Narrative Poetry: Its themes are drawn from tradition, history, or legend. It rehabilitates the romance. Among its creators are the Duke of Rivas with El Moro Expósito (1834), and José Zorrilla, author of the poem Granada.
- Lyric Poetry: Prominent authors include Espronceda, Bécquer, and Rosalía de Castro.
José de Espronceda is the liberal Romantic poet par excellence, both for his work and for his attitude towards society. His poetry can be divided into several stages:
- Neoclassical Poetry: In the pastoral style of M. Valdés. The most remarkable work is Pelayo, a narrative poem about the Muslim invasion.
- Transition to Romanticism: Hymn to the Sun or the narrative poem Oscar and Malvina.
- Romantic Lyric Poetry: He wrote lyric poems such as Song of the Pirate. In defense of these poems, he wrote two great narrative poems, El Estudiante de Salamanca and El Diablo Mundo.
Bécquer represents the first modern poet. Notable among his prose works are Cartas Literarias a una Mujer, Cartas desde mi Celda, and, above all, Leyendas, Romantic fantasy stories notable for their subjects (the ideal woman), their characters (men), and their settings (the Middle Ages). His poetry is reduced to Rimas. The first complete edition (1871) contains brief poems with varied metrics, parallel structures, musicality, major and minor art, assonant rhyme, broken foot, and intimate dialogue. It is an intimate poetry, arising from the evocation of feeling.
Rosalía de Castro wrote in the same simple and intimate style as Bécquer. Among her works are, in Galician, Cantares Gallegos and Follas Novas, and in Castilian, En las Orillas del Sar.
Romantic Prose
Romantic prose includes the historical novel, the costumbrista sketch, and the newspaper article.
- Liberal Historical Novel: El Doncel de Don Enrique el Doliente by Larra and Sancho Saldaña o el Castellano de Cuéllar by Espronceda.
- Moderate Historical Novel: Extols traditional values, such as El Señor de Bembibre by Gil y Carrasco.
- Costumbrista Sketch: Escenas Matritenses by Ramón de Mesonero Romanos.
- Newspaper Article: Plain prose, direct, didactic tone. Larra wrote articles on customs (laziness), politics (his last goodbye), and literature (praise for country girls).
Romantic Theater
Drama is the most characteristic theatrical subgenre of Romanticism. Born in Germany with Schiller, it appeared later in Spain. In 1834, La Conjuración de Venecia by Martínez de la Rosa, considered the first example, and Macías by Larra were premiered. Traitor, Unconfessed, and Martyr (1849) by Zorrilla is the last key work of the genre. The central theme is impossible love that leads to death. Two protagonists stand out: the hero and the heroine.
The formal aspect of Romantic drama is characterized by breaking the neoclassical structure. The Duke of Rivas’s drama Don Álvaro o la Fuerza del Destino continues to destroy the adverse. Don Juan by Zorrilla.