18th-Century Spanish Prose: Authors and Styles

Eighteenth-Century Spanish Prose

As in other genres, eighteenth-century prose trends in Spain include Baroque, Neoclassical, and Pre-Romantic styles. However, the most significant development is that of the essay, with authors like Feijoo and Jovellanos employing a new, natural, precise, and functional language. In the realm of the novel, the most representative author is Cadalso.

The essay is the genre that reached the greatest development in the eighteenth century. The works of Feijoo and Jovellanos helped disseminate a more modern and simple language, which was also spread through newspapers and magazines. The novel was little cultivated, with the exception of Padre Isla and Cadalso.

Three Main Styles of 18th-Century Prose

• Post-Baroque Prose (Prosa posbarroca): Represented by Diego Torres Villarroel, with his satirical writings, Almanacs and Forecasts, and his autobiographical picaresque novel, Vida (Life).
• Neoclassical-Enlightened Prose (Prosa neoclásica-ilustrada): Achieved great success in the essays and criticism of Feijoo, Cadalso, and Jovellanos. As a novelist, Father Isla stands out with his work Friar Gerund of Campazas, a satire about preachers who imitated the Baroque style and promoted superstitions.
• Pre-Romantic Prose (Prosa prerromántica): Appeared later in the century in the works of writers who had begun in the Neoclassical style, such as Cadalso and Jovellanos.

Key Authors of the Spanish Enlightenment

Fray Benito Jerónimo Feijoo

Author of numerous didactic essays, Feijoo disseminated encyclopedic knowledge. His works were highly varied, all aiming to modernize the society of his time.

José Cadalso

Possessing an incredible knowledge of Neoclassicism and Pre-Romanticism, Cadalso is the author of one of the most representative works of the Spanish Enlightenment, Moroccan Letters (Cartas marruecas). In this work, he conducts a social satire following the approach of Montesquieu's Persian Letters: a foreigner travels through a strange country and, from an outsider's perspective, writes letters describing everything he sees. The Moroccan protagonist is Gazel, who, during his journey through Spain, writes to his teacher Ben-Beley and his Spanish friend Nuño. In these letters, he reviews and criticizes traditional ideas, customs, and Spanish social organization. Cadalso also wrote Lugubrious Nights (Noches lúgubres), a prose elegy that is a key part of sepulchral Pre-Romantic literature.

Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos

A writer and politician, Jovellanos intensely lived the events of the second half of the eighteenth century, as recorded in his letters and diaries. He participated in the reformist politics of Charles III and Charles IV, which eventually led to his exile and seven years in prison. He was a prominent representative of the essay genre, addressing highly varied topics. He proposed modernizing the country through works such as Report on Public Spectacles (Memoria sobre los espectáculos) and Report on Public Education (Memoria sobre la educación pública), in which he argues that culture is the source of social prosperity and personal happiness. He also wrote satires, epistles in prose, and drama. As a playwright, he is the author of the tragedy Pelayo and the sentimental drama The Honorable Culprit (El delincuente honrado).