The Literary Movement of 19th-Century Realism and Galdós

Characteristics of Literary Realism

Feature of the Narrator: Objective Observation

Psychological Analysis of Characters

Protagonists in realistic works are ordinary characters, unlike the idealized heroes found in Romantic literature.

The Omniscient Narrator

This type of narrator is the most common in the 19th-century novel. The omniscient narrator controls the entire narrative field, knows everything about the characters, and dictates the story.

Context and Style

• Contemporary Ambiance: The writer reflects the time when he lives, analyzes society, and presents it to the reader.
• Thesis Approach (novels often centered on a specific ideological conflict).
• Use of the newspaper as a means of diffusion (serialization).

Realism in Spain

Spanish Realism had some precedent, but the publication of La Fontana de Oro (1870) by Benito Pérez Galdós is generally regarded as the initiator of the new movement in Spain.

Spanish Realism shares characteristics with European authors but also incorporates elements of Spanish literary tradition, inspired by the realism of Cervantes or the picaresque novel. Notable figures, such as Emilia Pardo Bazán, also introduced elements of Naturalism.

Benito Pérez Galdós: Literary Contributions

Galdós was a prolific writer, producing approximately:

• 32 major novels of Realism.
• 46 titles in the series Episodios Nacionales.
• 24 plays and 15 volumes of articles and essays.

For Galdós, fiction must show a picture of life and reflect the spiritual and physical environment of Spain during his time. Galdós is a kind of chronicler of the last third of the 19th century. The Episodios Nacionales are the most important parts of his historical production.

Galdós's Novelistic Periods

1. The Novels of the First Period (Thesis Novels)

These novels often focus on specific ideological conflicts. Example: Doña Perfecta (1876).

2. Contemporary Novels

These novels reflect the changing society of the time. Fortunata y Jacinta (1886–1887) is considered one of the peaks of 19th-century Spanish narrative.

Galdós focuses on four main characters and their environment:

• Juanito Santa Cruz and his wife, Jacinta.
• Fortunata, of working-class origin and Juanito's lover.
• Her husband, the insignificant Maximiliano Rubín, who is full of imagination but... (text incomplete).

3. Symbolic Novels

Regarding Galdós's overall style, his novels are characterized by extensive dialogue. He is an artist of reproducing real speech and social varieties, often employing humorous irony and parody on many occasions.