Evolution of 19th Century Spanish Literature and Modernism

Pre-Realism (1849)

Cecilia Böhl de Faber, known as Fernán Caballero, represents the transition toward realism. Her novels of manners do not fully embrace realism, as they preserve elements of a romantic vision.

Early Realism

During the 1870s, a new type of literature emerged where writers expressed their own ideological positions:

• Traditionalists: Some authors idealized reality from Catholic approaches.
• Liberals: Other narrators supported liberal, non-religious ideas.
• José María de Pereda: A special case who shared liberal ideas but maintained an aesthetic vision that literature should ignore unpleasant aspects.

Naturalism

The most important titles published during this period were influenced by Émile Zola, specifically The Tavern and Germinal. These works aroused interest in the objective observation of man and society, focusing on sordid Spanish issues. However, many novelists rejected the French determinism of naturalism, which denied freedom to the individual.

Overcoming 19th Century Realism

In the final years of the 19th century, writers concluded that the best way to penetrate the human soul was not through scientific observation, but by capturing the human spirit through intuition.

Benito Pérez Galdós

Galdós addressed issues of interest regarding Spanish society and its people. His narrative sought to renew the Spanish novel by representing social acts within the Madrid bourgeoisie. His most notable work includes the National Episodes, a collection of 46 stories detailing the history of Spain.

Start of Century Literature

As realism reached its maturity, writers began to react against it, seeking an art less attached to social reality and more concerned with privacy, formal beauty, and fantasy.

Modernism and Its Influences

Emerging in late 19th-century Latin America, modernism reached its fullness with the publication of Azul.... It was shaped by several influences:

• Parnassianism: The search for formal perfection.
• Symbolism: The use of symbols to suggest reality.
• Pre-Raphaelitism: Ingenuity and primitivism.
• D'Annunzianism: Paganism and adventure.

Modernists championed beauty against all forms of vulgarity.

Modernist Features

• Obsession with beauty and transmitting essential sensations.
• Subjective mood and lyrical tone.
• Refined artistic creation (art for art's sake).
• Search for originality, optimism, and musicality.
• Use of exotic landscapes and eroticism.
• Great rhythmic sound effects and metaphors.
• Use of Alexandrine, dodecasyllabic, and hendecasyllabic meters.

Key Themes

• Inspiration from remote landscapes and seasons.
• Melancholy, intimacy, and loneliness.
• Evocation of the past.
• Love and eroticism.
• Mythological themes and Eastern evocations.