Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Modernism and Generation of '98

Romanticism

Romanticism is a cultural and political movement that originated in Germany and the United Kingdom in the late eighteenth century as a revolutionary reaction against the rationalism of the Enlightenment and Classicism, giving importance to feeling. Its key feature is the break with classical tradition based on a stereotypical set of rules. Freedom is its constant, authentic search, which is why its revolutionary feature is unquestionable. Because Romanticism is a way of feeling and conceiving nature, life, and man himself, it is presented differently in each country, and especially where it develops, even within a nation, projecting itself differently in all the arts. It developed primarily in the first half of the nineteenth century, extending from England to Germany. Then to France, Italy, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, etc. Its literary, fragmentary side continued later in various streams, such as Parnassianism, Symbolism, Decadence, and the Pre-Raphaelites, gathered under the general heading of Post-Romanticism, which was an outgrowth of Hispanic Modernism. It had fundamental contributions in the fields of literature, art, and music. Subsequently, one of the avant-garde currents of the twentieth century, Surrealism, brought to an end the tenets of romantic exaltation of the self.

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer

Born in Seville in 1836, he studied painting in his teens, but at age 18, he moved to Madrid, determined to be a poet. His life was marked by disease, economic troubles, and romantic failures. He died in Madrid in 1870. Bécquer's work reflects cultured poetry in his Rhymes, and prose in The Legends.

Realism and Naturalism

Realism: A properly realistic stage begins in 1870 with the publication of The Fountain of Gold by Benito Pérez Galdós. It is characterized by the desire to portray contemporary reality. In general, the narrator adopts a more objective stance to criticize, and each character is the subject of a psychological but also meticulous portrait. Along with Galdós, Juan Valera and José María de Pereda stand out.

Naturalism: The success of Zola's novels resulted in the appearance in Spain of the first naturalistic texts from 1881, the year of publication of Galdós's The Disinherited. Naturalism recreates the most sordid aspects of reality: characters are victims of their physical condition, genetics, and the environment in which they live. These facts determine their destiny and prevent them from being free. The most prominent novelists were Leopoldo Alas (Clarín), Emilia Pardo Bazán, and Vicente Blasco Ibáñez.

Benito Pérez Galdós was a Spanish novelist, playwright, and columnist. He is one of the leading representatives of the realist novel of the nineteenth century and one of the greatest Spanish-language writers.

Leopoldo Alas (Clarín) was born in Zamora in 1852. His family moved to Oviedo in 1863. He studied law and was a professor at the University of Oviedo from 1883 until his death in 1901. He was also a renowned journalist and literary critic.

Modernism and the Generation of '98

Modernism: It is a renewal movement that claimed artistic and literary freedom of creation. The main representative is Rubén Darío, who used to refer to Modernism as emerging trends against vulgarity in the arts and letters. Modernism was influenced by Romanticism, Parnassianism, and Symbolism.

Generation of '98: The Generation of '98 is the name given to a group of authors born in the late nineteenth century who addressed two fundamental issues in their texts: the decadence of Spain and existential anguish. Generally recognized as members of this generation are Miguel de Unamuno, Pío Baroja, José Martínez Ruiz (Azorín), and Ramiro de Maeztu. In the texts of this generation, an influence of the philosophical currents of the time is noticeable.