Defining Realism and Naturalism: Literary Characteristics and Valera's Prose

Realism: Characteristics and Context

Realism is the expression of the dominant mentality of the liberal bourgeoisie in the novel of the epoch. It is a movement where all genres are cultivated, including drama and poetry.

Key Features of Realism

• Observation of Reality

  The mentality of the epoch gives priority to the rational approach to reality.

• Likelihood Analysis

  The literary work must construct a narrative world similar to the real one. Great importance is attached to the description of space and characters.

• Tendency toward Objectivity

  The writer maintains a critical intention regarding society, although this does not prevent the inclusion of a personal viewpoint.

• Preference for Closed Structure

  The structure is clearly developed with a beginning, middle, and end.

• Simple Style

  Realism shuns rhetoric and poetic expression, favoring common language.

Naturalism: Defining Traits and Principles

Naturalism is a literary movement born in France around 1870.

Core Principles of Naturalism

• Materialism

  Naturalism denies the spiritual part of human existence, including feelings, ideals, etc.

• Determinism

  Human behavior is marked by biological inheritance and social circumstances.

• Experimental Approach

  The author experiments with characters by placing them in specific situations where their behavior depends on heredity and environment.

Typical Characters in Naturalist Novels

Naturalist characters are conditioned by temperamental biases and their social environment. They often include figures like morons, alcoholics, and beggars, who obey the environment unknowingly or accidentally. These characters differ from the educated ones in their lack of control over their circumstances.

Juan Valera's Literary Style and Critique

Critique of Romanticism

What features of Romanticism did J. Valera critique in his novels? He argued against the idea that pain and frustration arise from the wishes for happiness and the idealistic denials that young people embrace.

Stylistic Features of Valera's Novels

Valera handles a linear structure with great skill and technique (e.g., in Pepita Jiménez). His prose is elegant and lacks the defects of the plebeian and popular styles common among writers of the epoch. Valera guided improvements in taste and naturalness in writing.

Essential Grammar and Syntax Notes

Coordinating Conjunctions

• Copulative: y, e, ni
• Disjunctive: o, u
• Distributive: bien... bien, ya... ya, unos... otros
• Adversative (Effects): excepto, pero, mas, no obstante, sin embargo, aunque, con todo, sino que
• Explanatory: es decir, esto es, o sea

Sentence Parts and Functions

• Subject (Suj): Answers "Who?"
• Direct Object (CD): Answers "What?" and is replaced by lo, la, los, las.
• Indirect Object (CI): Answers "To whom?" or "For whom?"
• Complemento de Régimen (C. Régimen): Verb + Preposition + Pronoun, substituted by le, les (or lo, la, los, las).

Circumstantial Complements (CC)

• Manner (CC Modo): How?
• Cause (CC Causa): Why?
• Instrument (CC Instrumento): With what?
• Place (CC Lugar): Where?
• Time (CC Tiempo): When?

Subordinate Adjective Clauses

Introduced by relative pronouns (que, quien, quienes, el/la/los/las cual/cuales, donde, cuando, como, cuyo/a/os/as). These pronouns never carry an accent mark (tilde) when functioning as relative pronouns, but they do when functioning as interrogative or exclamatory pronouns (substantive use).