19th-Century Spanish Literature: Realism and Naturalism

Socio-Cultural Context of 19th-Century Spain

In 19th-century Europe, the bourgeoisie consolidated as the dominant social class, often leaning towards conservative positions. Trade and industry experienced strong growth, leading to the emergence of the urban proletariat. Clashes between workers and the bourgeoisie were constant in the second half of the century. This era also saw the rise of positivism, a philosophy arguing that knowledge must be based on empirical data and observation.

Realism in Literature

The term realism is used in art and literature to designate works that attempt to imitate or accurately depict reality. The primary genre of realism is the novel. Realist writers often viewed the novel as "a mirror along the way," basing their work on observation and documentation.

Naturalism in Literature

Naturalism is a specific form of realism that emerged in France in the late 19th century. Its creator was Emile Zola.

The Realist Novel in Spain

The realist novel in Spain began in the mid-19th century with a style called "pre-realism," which still contained some romantic elements. The realist novel reached its peak after the Restoration, in the 1870s and 1880s, with authors like Juan Valera, Jose María de Pereda, Benito Perez Galdos, Leopoldo Alas Clarin, and Emilia Pardo Bazan.

Fernan Caballero

Born in Switzerland to a German father and an Andalusian mother, Fernan Caballero lived most of her life in Andalusia. She devoted herself to studying and gathering anecdotes, traditions, ballads, and popular songs. In 1849, she published her novel La Gaviota.

Pedro Antonio de Alarcon

Born in Granada, Pedro Antonio de Alarcon was very popular in his time. In 1874, he published his most famous work, The Three-Cornered Hat, a short story inspired by popular tradition. It is notable for its engaging plot, ironic tone, graceful descriptions of characters and settings, and vivid dialogue.

Emilia Pardo Bazan

Emilia Pardo Bazan was born in La Coruña in 1851 into an aristocratic family and died in 1921. She was a tolerant woman, open to the new currents of thought of her time. Her independent temperament and her struggle for the intellectual and social emancipation of women caused her many problems in intellectual circles. Her most important novels are Los Pazos de Ulloa and Mother Nature.

Benito Perez Galdos

Benito Perez Galdos was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 1843. He studied law in Madrid, where he remained for the rest of his life. The streets and atmosphere of Madrid would become the setting for many of his novels. Ideologically, from his youth, he identified as progressive and anticlerical. Over time, his ideas became more radical, and he adopted Republican positions close to socialism. His last years were difficult: he struggled financially, lost his sight, and faced opposition from ideological enemies who prevented him from being awarded the Nobel Prize. He died in Madrid in 1920. Galdos wrote 77 novels, through which one can reconstruct 19th-century Spanish life.

Galdos's Novels

• Early Period: Includes all novels published up to The Disinherited.
• Contemporary Spanish Novels: Includes novels written between 1881 and 1915.

One must also add the National Episodes, a set of 46 novels in which Galdos ambitiously aimed to create a novelistic history of Spain in the 19th century, from the events of Trafalgar and the War of Independence to the Restoration. In his contemporary Spanish novels, he realistically reflected the society and environment of Madrid at the time, especially the middle classes.

Leopoldo Alas Clarin

Leopoldo Alas Clarin was born in 1852 in Zamora, where his father was governor. In 1859, the family moved to Oviedo, and his life was always linked to this city and Asturias in general. He studied law and began working for newspapers and magazines under the pseudonym "Clarin." From 1883, he was a Professor of Law at the University of Oviedo, a profession he combined with intense literary activity until his death in Oviedo in 1901.

Clarin was a liberal Republican, a defender of freedom of thought and conscience, and an enemy of fanaticism and reactionary traditionalism. He published several books of short stories and novellas, such as Pipa, Doña Berta, Moral Tales, The Lord and the Rest are Stories, and others.

He is also the author of two novels, The Judge's Wife and His Only Son. The theme of The Judge's Wife is not only the protagonist's dissatisfaction but also a moral and social portrait of a provincial and boring town.