The Romantic Movement in Spanish Poetry and Prose

The Essence of Romanticism

In Romanticism, artists put aside traditional rules as passion replaced reason, making artistic works deeply subjective. Romantic works are characterized by a mix of genres, combining prose and verse, and the use of different metric structures within the same poem. The expression of personal feelings and emotions is the primary focus, with the lyrical genre serving as the best medium for this expression.

Other themes discussed by Romantics were related to nature, the evocation of an idealized past (specifically the Middle Ages), and the perceived vulgarity of the increasingly industrialized society in which they lived. Popular character creations were revalued during this time. This phenomenon, which ensured respect for the institutions of all peoples across Europe, led to a revival of the Spanish language.

The Evolution of Romantic Poetry

In the chronology of romantic lyric, there are two distinct stages. In the first stage, poets disagreed with society; they were active and expressed elation and grandiosity. José de Espronceda belongs to this period.

The second stage, called Late Romanticism, abandoned social conscience and accentuated the expression of personal issues. It adopted an intimate tone and used greater metric freedom. Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Rosalía de Castro represent this time period and are considered the precursors of modern poetry.

José de Espronceda (1808-1842)

The theme of this lyric poet revolves around two points of interest. Sometimes, he expressed his romantic ideals, such as in "The Pirate Song" (La canción del pirata), and other times, he focused on life experiences, as seen in the elegy "Love Song to Teresa" included in The Devil World (El diablo mundo).

Romantic Narrative and Identity

The foremost target of stories during the Romantic stage was to show the public elements that are part of a country's identity. Some authors chose to develop their arguments from the evocation of the past, usually an idealized Middle Ages or the 16th and 17th centuries. This resulted in historical fiction or legends.

This observation also served as the starting point for the novel of manners and customs (costumbrismo), a literary current that preceded Realism. Mariano José de Larra, in his newspaper articles, did not conform merely to the presentation of daily Spanish life but added a sharp critical intent.

Mariano José de Larra (1809-1837)

Larra lived in exile because of his father's ideas. He had solid, cosmopolitan training and is considered the heir of the Enlightenment, serving as a prime example of the liberal romantic spirit. The style of Larra's journalistic prose is straightforward and utilizes irony with a simple lexicon. The tone of his last articles became increasingly pessimistic and bitter, possibly due to his disappointment regarding the impossibility of reforming the country.

Common Literary Devices

• List: Listing one thing after another (e.g., "in the park because the trees and flowers").
• Metaphor: A ratio of similarity between something real and an imagined term.
• Anaphora: The repetition of the same word at the beginning of each verse.
• Epiphora: Starting and ending a verse in the same way.