Romantic Movement in 19th-Century Spain

Late 19th-Century Events

From the French Revolution to the War of Independence, ending with the Spanish-American War and the Disaster of '98. A provisional government, the brief reign of Amadeo I of Savoy, the First Republic, and the Bourbon Restoration.

Characteristics of the Romantic Movement

Predominant feelings, passion, genius, and the defense of individuality. Exaltation of nationalism and vernacular literature. Liberal Romantics (Victor Hugo, Lord Byron). Conservative Romantics (Chateaubriand, Walter Scott).

In Spain, the triumph of Romanticism coincided with the return of liberals exiled to England or France after Ferdinand VII's death. They brought Romantic thought and literature.

New Themes

• Pessimism
• Love as an absolute passion
• Idealization of the past
• Interest in the exotic and picturesque

New Forms

• Mixture of prose and verse
• Mixing of theatrical genres
• Works breaking literary rules
• Prose historicism
• Costumbrismo (e.g., Scenes of a Roman Innkeeper)

Larra

Born in Madrid in 1809. Resided in France with his family from ages four to nine. Committed suicide in 1836 due to a failed love affair with Dolores Armijo. His tragic death made him a prototype of Romanticism. Although he wrote a historical novel (El doncel de Don Enrique el Doliente) and a tragedy (Macías), Larra was primarily a journalist.

In his articles signed with the pseudonym Figaro, he criticized aspects of Spanish reality: the country's decline, poor social organization, and mediocrity. Vuelva usted mañana denounces administrative inefficiency. En este país criticizes the belief that foreign ideas are superior.

Espronceda

Born in Badajoz, he led an eventful life. Returned to Spain after Ferdinand VII's death, dedicating himself to literature, journalism, and politics with increasingly radical compositions. Rebellion against the world and moral order, passion, and the conviction that poetry was a political weapon make him an exemplary liberal Romantic.

His works include two narrative poems: El estudiante de Salamanca and the unfinished El diablo mundo. Poems: El reo de muerte, El mendigo, La canción del pirata.

Zorrilla

Wrote verse romances and legends, notably Margarita la tornera and A buen juez, mejor testigo. His greatest successes were plays, including El zapatero y el rey, Traidor, inconfeso y mártir, and especially Don Juan Tenorio.

Bécquer

Born in Seville, died in Madrid from tuberculosis. His short life, marked by his father's early death and a disappointing love affair, has classified him as a late Romantic.

In addition to his legends, Bécquer is known for his posthumously published Rimas. His poems have a recurring theme: love, often unhappy or exalted, alongside reflections on poetry and poetic language. Bécquer's influence was decisive for 20th-century Spanish poetry, especially Machado, Juan Ramón Jiménez, and Cernuda.