Neoclassical Literature: Key Characteristics and Authors

Neoclassical Literature: Core Principles

Neoclassical literature is defined by a return to classical Greek and Latin authors. It is characterized by the following principles:

• Adherence to Rules: It establishes strict guidelines for poetic writing through formal treatises.
• Reason and Logic: It applies rational thought to literature, maintaining a clear didactic and moralizing intention.
• Dominant Genres: The essay is the predominant literary form.

Key European Figures

• France: Voltaire (Candide), Rousseau (Emilio), and Montesquieu (The Spirit of the Laws).
• England: Defoe (Moll Flanders), Swift (Gulliver's Travels), and Sterne (The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman).

Neoclassicism in Spain

During the first half of the 18th century, the spread of French neoclassical ideas and a reaction against the Baroque gave rise to a movement aimed at renewing Spanish culture and society.

Fray Benito Jerónimo Feijóo

His work possesses a clear didactic intention, aiming to teach the truth to the public through a clear and precise style.

Neoclassical Poetry in Spain

Features include the imposition of reason, the pursuit of good taste, and the belief that poetry should be useful. The two primary genres are lyric poetry and the fable.

• Lyrical Poetry of Meléndez Valdés: It rests on two foundations: Rococo lyricism, which expresses a taste for decoration, and philosophical and moral lyricism, which reflects Enlightenment ideals.
• Didactic Poetry (Fables of Iriarte and Samaniego): Iriarte rose to fame with his literary fables, while Samaniego authored moral fables that ridiculed human defects.

18th Century Spanish Theater

The theater of the 18th century was marked by significant polemics. Its features include:

• The Three Unities: Respect for the rules of action, time, and place.
• Genre Separation: Strict separation of tragedy and comedy.
• Didactic Function: A focus on moral instruction and realistic defense.

Influential Spanish Thinkers

• Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos: His thought centers on the assertion that reason and education are the sources of happiness.
• Diego de Torres Villarroel: A religious man and professor of mathematics at Salamanca; his work bridges the gap between the Baroque model of Quevedo and Neoclassicism.
• José Cadalso: A great traveler and highly influential figure in Spanish culture, known for the critical nature of his work.