Neoclassicism vs. Romanticism: Key Literary Movements

Neoclassicism vs. Romanticism: A Comparison

Neoclassicism

• Defends the power of reason.
• Man participates in a collective project of progress.
• Generates vital optimism.
• Art seeks balance.
• Art and literature have a didactic function, promoting values.

Romanticism

• Defends feeling and subjectivity.
• Man reaffirms individuality and freedom.
• Contrast between ideal and reality creates pessimism and angst.
• Art seeks new forms of expression for human passions.
• Art has a subversive intent.

The Romantic Lyric

Key Themes

• Love: Idealized yet often tragic.
• Existence: Life is pure agony; the poet lives in a world that doesn't suit them, leading to sadness, loneliness, and suicide.
• Freedom: A fight against all rules and oppression, including the defense of patriotism as a territory of freedom.

Style and Metrics

• Uses suggestive and evocative vocabulary.
• Language is musical and moving.
• Employs free forms in metrics.
• Tends to use rhyme.

Prominent Poets

• José de Espronceda:
  • Best embodies Romanticism.
  • Notable Works: Poesías, El estudiante de Salamanca, and El diablo mundo.
  • Themes: Adventure and love.
• Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer:
  • Known for delicate, simple, and carefully crafted language.
  • Emblematic Works: Rimas and Leyendas.
• Rosalía de Castro:
  • Features a simple and intimate style.
  • Writes in both Castilian and Galician.
  • Key Works: Cantares gallegos, Follas novas, and En las orillas del Sar.

Journalism of Manners

Mariano José de Larra

Larra excelled in articles of manners (artículos de costumbres), which were newspaper articles criticizing bad habits or entertaining readers. These articles are characterized by:

• Everyday Issues: Topics are drawn from daily life.
• Diverse Characters: Reflect all social classes.
• Simple Vocabulary: Accessible language.
• First-Person Descriptions: Often uses the author's perspective.
• Ironic Wordplay: Clever use of language for satirical effect.
• Structure: Consists of three parts:
  1. Introduction
  2. Development of the custom
  3. Conclusion reflecting the author's views

Romantic Theater

Key Features

• Breaks with Neoclassical theater rules (e.g., unity of time, place, action).
• Mixes tragic and comic elements.
• Combines prose and verse.
• Uses exaggerated language to thrill the viewer.
• Employs grim scenarios.
• Themes: Adventure, medieval legends, love, and freedom.
• New Characters: Solitary tragic hero and a sentimental heroine.
• Drama has no didactic purpose; it aims to move emotions rather than teach.

Prominent Authors

• José Zorrilla:
  • Work: Don Juan Tenorio.
  • Recreates the legendary story of Don Juan, a charming rogue who eventually succumbs to love.
  • Main Characteristics:
    • Features an impossible love with a tragic ending.
    • Has a very grim atmosphere.
    • Set in distant, mysterious locations.
    • Includes supernatural elements.
    • Presents an asocial hero and a sentimental heroine.
• Duque de Rivas:
  • Work: Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino (Don Álvaro or the Force of Destiny).
  • Focuses on the love between Don Álvaro, an Indian of unknown origin, and Leonor, the daughter of a nobleman who opposes their relationship.
  • The lovers decide to flee, but the father's surprise leads to Don Álvaro accidentally killing him. This event condemns the lovers to a tragic fate.