Romanticism in European and Spanish Literature

Romanticism: Definition and Characteristics

Romanticism is a cultural, literary, and artistic movement that developed in Europe in the first half of the 19th century.

Characteristics of Romanticism

• Individualism and Subjectivism: The self is the center of life. A clash between the ideal and the real often leads to dissatisfaction, protests, and isolation.
• Freedom: Opposition to any particular rule, especially neoclassical rules.
• Nationalism: Exaltation of national and popular values in each country.

Romanticism in Spain

It was a late and short-lived movement (starting around 1833) due to exiled intellectuals and the persecution by the absolutist King Ferdinand VII.

Themes in Spanish Romanticism

• Sentiments: The author's dissatisfaction, marked by sadness, loneliness, and despair.
• Rebellion and Evasion: The impossibility of realizing ideals leads to evasion into mysterious, distant, and exotic lands and worlds.
• Nature and Landscapes: They adapt to the author's feelings, mirroring his mood. Landscapes express sad, melancholic, and tormented souls.

Literary Genres of Romanticism

Prose

Prose includes the following subgenres:

• Historical novel
• Costumbrista sketch (customs box)
• Short stories and legends

Mariano José de Larra

His articles are classified into three groups:

1. Costumbrista articles: Criticize the ills of Spanish society.
2. Political articles: Combat absolutism and intransigence as causes of Spanish backwardness.
3. Literary criticism: Defend freedom in the artistic field.

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer

Legends

He wrote 28 short stories in poetic prose that recreate romantic themes such as the mysterious, the supernatural, and the exotic.

Letters from My Cell

These 9 letters collect personal impressions and descriptions of characters and customs.

Theater

Romantic theater is characterized by:

• Rejection of the neoclassical rules of time, place, and action.
• Novelistic, historical, and legendary themes.
• The scene shifts to reflect the Romantic vision of life: impossible love overcoming social convention, freedom, rebellion, and even suicide.
• Settings: Night scenes, cemeteries.
• Aim: To shake the viewer's sensibility.

Notable Works and Authors

Key Authors and Their Contributions

• Don Álvaro or the Force of Destiny by the Duke of Rivas
• Don Juan Tenorio by Zorrilla
• José de Espronceda: His works, such as The Student of Salamanca and The Song of the Pirate, express defiance and protest against social norms and life itself, often featuring leading figures from marginalized social groups.

Post-Romanticism

This period marks the transition from late Romanticism (c. 1850) to the consolidation of Realism (c. 1870).

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (Post-Romanticism)

His poetry is characterized by simplicity and is full of emotion and feeling. His Rimas (Rhymes) consist of 79 short compositions, often using assonance.

Rosalía de Castro

Her work features lyrical simplicity and intimate, sentimental themes, full of emotion and self-emotion. Her notable work is On the Banks of the Sar.