Realism in Spanish Literature: Key Authors and Movements

The Realistic Narrative

The progressive governments were devoted Democrats and pushed reforms, creating great discontent. Realism was influenced ideologically by philosophical and scientific currents.

Realism: Origins and Characteristics

Realism originated in France between 1830 and 1840. Key authors include Honoré de Balzac and Stendhal. In England, authors like Charles Dickens are highlighted, and in Russia, Leo Tolstoy. Realism aims for detailed descriptions, characterized by a simple, sober, and moving style that engages with the characters. It often incorporates the use of popular dialects.

Spanish Realism

Spanish Realism has two key dates: the publication of La Gaviota by Fernán Caballero in 1849 and the publication of La Regenta by Leopoldo Alas in 1884. There are different trends within Spanish Realism:

• Traditionalism and aesthetics
• Progressive and critical naturalism

Valera and Emilia Pardo Bazán defended naturalism in Spain. Some of the principal works include La Gaviota, La Tribuna, and La Regenta. Benito Pérez Galdós and Leopoldo Alas were greatly influenced by naturalism. Another important representative of naturalism in Spain was Vicente Blasco Ibáñez.

Benito Pérez Galdós

Benito Pérez Galdós was an author known for his extensive literary production. His National Episodes cover major historical events of Spain in the nineteenth century, comprising 46 stories divided into 5 different series. His work includes:

• Novels of the first period: Historical novels and thesis novels.
• Contemporary novels: Where Galdós invents a fictitious world.
• Spiritual novels and novels of the last stage.

Spanish Poetry of the Early 20th Century

The literature, and especially the poetry, of Spain at the beginning of the century coincides with the development of Modernism, an artistic and literary movement that reacted against the prevailing bourgeois prosaism. Modernism drew from various influences, notably Parnassianism and Symbolism. Spanish Modernism was characterized by external brilliance and greater intimacy, with Symbolist poetry influenced by the post-Romanticism of Gautier and Baudelaire.

Antonio Machado (1875-1939)

Antonio Machado was born in 1875. In 1907, he moved to Seville as a professor of French and met Leonor, whom he married in 1909. Leonor died after a long illness in 1912, leaving him deeply saddened. Machado was initially insensitive to the events of 1898, unlike other authors; his process was inverse. He began with Symbolism and late Romanticism, always maintaining a simple and sober style. His poetic trajectory is divided into four cycles:

• First Cycle (Soledades): This cycle represents the deepest part of his poetry, often seen as the pinnacle of Machado's poetic work.
• Second Cycle (Campos de Castilla): Machado encounters Castile, writing intimate poems in line with his previous work.
• Third Cycle (Nuevas Canciones): This is a short cycle, characterized by heterogeneity, representing a decline in his creative impulse.
• Last Poems: His poetic production in this final stage is scarce.

Juan Ramón Jiménez

Juan Ramón Jiménez was a prominent Spanish poet, a leading figure in the generation of 1958. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1956.