18th-Century Literature and the Age of Enlightenment

Historical and Cultural Framework

In politics, the absolute dominion of kings culminated. The Jesuits were expelled from the society. During this time, there was a growing urban bourgeoisie, both commercial and industrial. These groups lacked privilege and generally supported reforms. The traditional concept of charity was replaced by philanthropy.

There was significant criticism of the Church and its dogmas. Some defended their ideas from a Christian perspective, while others turned to deism (the belief in a supreme being that can exist in any religion). The most radical thinkers evolved toward materialism and atheism.

Cultural knowledge was fundamentally based on philosophy and science. The learned advocated that the arts should become a vehicle for new ideas, a concept known as utilitarianism.

Aesthetics: Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism draws on Greco-Latin and Renaissance models and aims to reflect proper taste. Neoclassical art aspires to be elegant, simple, and reasonable; it presents didactic themes and characters while strictly following classical rules.

The predominance of the rational over the imagination gives the movement an academic and cold classicism. Later, a new sensibility arose that was more sentimental and emotional, known as Preromanticism, which was more aligned with humanism.

18th-Century Spain

After the War of Succession, the Bourbon dynasty established enlightened reformism. However, following the French Revolution, rationalistic tendencies and reformist ideas were censored. Enlightened thinking began spreading late and found great opposition from the clergy, the nobility, and the common people. The confrontation between the educated minority and the traditionalists was long and sometimes violent.

Three Periods of the 18th Century

• First half-century (Philip V and Ferdinand VI): Early Enlightenment ideas were introduced but met with significant resistance.
• Reign of Charles III: Reformist ideas were widely disseminated and received protection from the central power.
• Reign of Charles IV: The monarchy and nobility attacked rationalist criticism for fear of revolutionary radicalism.