The Enlightenment in 18th Century Spain: Ideals, Literature, and Jovellanos
General Characteristics of the Enlightenment
The eighteenth century, ideologically, championed ideals that contrasted with the crisis of the seventeenth century. These foundational ideas are known as the Enlightenment, also referred to as the Age of Reason. These reformist ideas were rooted in reason, positing it as the ultimate faculty for thought and progress.
Two key intellectual movements significantly influenced the Enlightenment:
- Empiricism from England, championed by thinkers like Francis Bacon, David Hume, and John Locke.
- A parallel movement in France, featuring prominent writers and philosophers such as Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Montesquieu.
These powerful European influences subsequently shaped the Spanish Enlightenment during the 18th century. The burgeoning Industrial Revolution also played a role in shaping this era.
The Enlightenment in Spain: Modernization and Reform
The Spanish Enlightenment aimed to modernize the nation, with intellectuals actively combating superstition. Significant intellectual and artistic reforms were evident, particularly in public spectacles.
Major Intellectual Institutions Established:
- The National Library
- The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE)
- The Royal Academy of History
King Charles III fostered a strong concern for urban architecture, commissioning numerous public utility buildings.
Literary Features of the Spanish Enlightenment
In literature, a dual movement emerged: a desire to renew literary forms, moving away from the Baroque style, alongside a broader quest for cultural and social renewal.
- Poetry during this period was relatively insignificant, often reverting to classical Greco-Latin forms.
- In prose, the essay became the most prevalent genre, characterized by its didactic and critical nature.
- Theater saw a return to the classical three unities of action, time, and place.
Towards the end of the 18th century, many authors began to show early Romantic influences.
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos: A Leading Figure
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, an aristocrat, undertook frequent travels that exposed him to European culture and ideological movements, which profoundly influenced his compositions and reflected his high level of education. He joined the army at a young age, traveling extensively throughout Spain and meeting significant writers, particularly in Madrid and Salamanca. In Salamanca, he connected with the Salamanca School of poets, including figures like Juan Meléndez Valdés. He died young, at age 40, in Gibraltar.
Jovellanos’s Literary Legacy: Key Works
His significant literary output includes:
- Noches lúgubres (Lugubrious Nights)
- Cartas Marruecas (Moroccan Letters)
- El delincuente honrado (The Honorable Delinquent)
He also wrote Recreaciones de mi juventud, which includes prose satires against superficial writers.
Analysis of Key Works:
Noches lúgubres (Lugubrious Nights)
This is a prose work written in dialogue form. It is considered an early manifestation of Pre-Romanticism due to its philosophical reflections, nocturnal settings (such as cemeteries), sentimental tone, and the protagonist’s macabre attempt to exhume his beloved.
Cartas Marruecas (Moroccan Letters)
This work was published posthumously and comprises nearly 90 undated letters, offering a vivid description of Spanish customs. The work’s structure revolves around an exchange of letters between three main characters:
- Nuño Núñez (a Spaniard)
- Gazel (a Moroccan)
- Ben Beley (an elderly teacher)
Each character offers their unique opinions, thoughts, and comments on various issues, with a particular focus on life in Spain. The letters critically examine Spanish shortcomings, including aspects of clothing and social relations. The diverse perspectives of the three characters, rather than opposing each other, complement one another, providing a comprehensive overview of 18th-century Spain. Jovellanos’s style is characterized by its clarity, conciseness, and high syntactic correctness, often employing subtle irony.