Realism in Literature: Key Characteristics and Linguistic Evolution

Realism: A Reaction Against Romanticism

The Realist movement emerged as a reaction against the excesses of Romanticism, specifically its abuse of subjectivity, imagination, and the tendency to evade reality through exotic or bombastic worlds.

Core Principles of Realism

• Objective Observation: Realist work stems from the careful observation and analysis of reality.
• Contemporary Ambience: The writer reflects the environment in which they live.
• Thesis-Driven Approach: The author often aims to defend a particular ideological argument through their creation.
• Psychological Analysis: Protagonists are ordinary characters rather than the idealized heroes found in Romantic literature.
• Omniscient Narrator: This is the most common narrative perspective in 19th-century novels.
• Natural Style: Language tends to be natural, avoiding rhetorical excesses.
• Newspaper Distribution: Many realist works were published in newspapers in installments.

Benito Pérez Galdós and Spanish Realism

Benito Pérez Galdós believed that fiction must depict life and capture the spiritual and physical essence of Spain during his time. He served as a chronicler of the last third of the 19th century.

Galdós's Literary Production

• National Episodes: The most important part of his historical production.
• Novels of the First Period: Thesis novels that attack religious fanaticism and the influence of the clergy in public affairs.
• Contemporary Novels: These reflect the changing society of the moment.
• Symbolic Novels: These address new, more abstract, and spiritual concerns.

Galdós's style is characterized by a dialogic approach. He was a master of reproducing social speech, utilizing humor, irony, and parody.

Linguistic Evolution: Neologisms and Word Formation

Language is constantly evolving through the incorporation of new terms and structures.

Key Linguistic Concepts

• Foreignisms (Xenismos): Foreign words used within our language.
• Semantic Calque: The adoption of a foreign meaning for a word that already exists in our language.
• Neologisms: Words or expressions of recent creation or incorporation into our language.

Main Word Formation Procedures

• Derivation: The formation of words through prefixes and suffixes.
• Composition: Combining existing words.
• Acronyms: Creation of new terms from initials.
• Truncation: Shortening existing words.
• Classical Formants: Using Latin or Greek roots.
• Lexicalization of a Brand: Turning brand names into common nouns.
• Utilization of Foreign Words: Integrating loanwords into the lexicon.