Catalan Literature: Romanticism to Realism in Novels

Catalan Literature: From Romanticism to Realism

The Romantic Novel

Walter Scott proposed and explained the historical facts of the case, and later, the psychological and thematic aspects. The sentimental aspect is of interest.

Costumbrism

Testimonials described documents of traditions that were about to disappear. They wrote about customs, describing a moment in time.

The Realist Novel

Important writers include Balzac, Stendhal, and Flaubert. They were interested in current issues and the accurate description of the psychology of characters and environments.

The Emergence of the Modern Novel in Catalan

To create a modern Catalan narrative, it was necessary to overcome a series of problems:

• The lack of prestige of the language
• The anachronistic schemes of the Romantics
• The lack of a codified language
• The absence of appropriate editorial platforms
• The lack of professional writers

The Romantic Novel in Catalan Literature

The first novel in Catalan is the historical novel *L'orfeneta de Menargues* by Antoni Bofarull. Romantic novels adhered to the historical genre and were influenced by the ideology of the Renaissance and the conservative medieval lines. The romantic novel dispensed with history and adopted the reality of its time as a matter of the case, as seen in *Julieta* by Marti Genís i Aguilar.

Costumbrism in Catalan Literature

Thanks to the influence of Spanish customs and the emergence of magazines like *Lo Mòle*, *Un tros de paper*, and *La Ignorància*, this type of Catalan literature began to grow. One of the most prolific and solid authors of customs was Emilio Vilanova. His prose mixed nostalgia with humor and tenderness. *From My Piece*, *Scenes*, and *People of Barcelona* are notable works. Other authors to highlight are Robert Robert, Maura, and Gabriel Salvador Guinot.

The Realist Novel in Catalan Literature

Major authors include Carles Bosch de la Trinxeria, Josep Pin i Soler, Dolors Monserdà, and Maria Vayreda.

Narcís Oller

Narcís Oller was born in Valls in 1846 and went to Barcelona to study law. He is considered the architect of the modern Catalan novel. Based on his aesthetic, realism was cultivated in a romantic way. Oller saw the story as a laboratory where he experimented with situations and characters in his novels. *La Papallona* and *L'estudiant* were followed by *L'Escanyapobres*, one of the most imaginative novels with the theme of greed as its axis. Other notable works include *La Febre d'Or*, *La Bogeria*, and *Pilar Prim*. He also wrote a book of memoirs, *Memòries Literàries*.

Grammatical Notes

• CD (Direct Object): el, la, los, las, ho (this, that)
• CRV (Regime Verbal Complement): en (in prep), hi (the rest)
• Attribute: el, la, los, las, ho
• CI (Indirect Object): li, els
• CC (Circumstantial Complement): hi, en
• CN (Nominal Complement): de