19th Century Literary Movements: Realism, Naturalism, and Romanticism

19th Century Literary Movements and Key Authors

Early Literary Developments and Social Commentary

The narrative gathers recreated insights, spread throughout the literary life that is part of the ELA collective. Author Robert C.M. Robert, with a critical intent, confronts a nostalgic approach. He denounces the unreasonable, arbitrary, and dishonest behavior of society at the time. The Roberts belong to a street lineage, while others are rural. Urban contemporary realism brings us closer to reality.

Literary Stages and Prose Development

• Stage 1: Costumbrista Literature – Develops relationships with romance, offering a subjective vision of reality.
• Stage 2: Prose Development – Necessary for the evolution of prose. Emili Vilanova's elegy for a disappearing pre-industrial world. Its structure approaches that of theater.

Romanticism: Novels and Characteristics

Types of Romantic Novels

• Romantic Novel: Goethe's Werther, which traces the subtleties of the soul's love and leads to suicide.
• Historical Novel: Walter Scott, Victor Hugo, Manzoni.
• Feuilleton Novel: Alexandre Dumas.

Key Aspects of Romanticism

• Subjective vision of landscape.
• Kind soul and dream.
• Evaluation of love and friendship from a spiritual perspective.
• The romantic hero, living an exiled, higher existence.

Catalan Literature in the Romantic Period

Regarding the language situation in Catalan literature, Antoni Bofarull compiled the anthology Los Minstrels de la Restauració, a new star of the Floral Games of Menàrguens. Martí Genís i Aguilar wrote L'Orfeneta, a romance involved with Julita, embodying an idealistic conception and attempting to penetrate the mysteries of the heart.

Realism and Naturalism: A Shift in Perspective

Gustave Flaubert and Realism

Gustave Flaubert, author of Madame Bovary, created a fictional world with contemporary characters influenced by their environment and social class. The bourgeoisie plays a central role in his works. Flaubert attempts to be an impassive narrator in the face of his characters' circumstances, offering a subtle accusation against the bourgeoisie.

Émile Zola and Naturalism

Émile Zola, a key figure in Naturalism, applied the scientific method and positivism, maintaining a deterministic view of human behavior. He valued the role of working people, giving voice to their difficult living conditions, as powerfully seen in his novel Germinal.

Frederic Soler (Serafí Pitarra) and the Renaixença

Frederic Soler, known by his pseudonym Serafí Pitarra, consolidated his trajectory within the Catalan Renaixença movement. He began as Serafí with:

• Comedy sketches.
• Tallers (workshops, or apartments rented by young people).
• Plays, such as the staged L'Engendrament de Don Jaume (comic sketches with sexual themes and testimonials).

Soler also wrote satires like La Salchicha de la Llibertat. He premiered El Campanar de la Llibertat, a notable parody of historical drama. He aspired to a respected authorial career within the bourgeoisie and was influenced by romantic drama. He premiered the costume drama Les Joies del Roser, a romantic drama featuring rural characters and a contemporary idyllic vision of the countryside. His primary interest was to please the public.