Romanticism in Spanish Literature: Characteristics and Key Figures

Defining Romanticism: Core Principles

Romanticism was a cultural movement that opposed the principles of the Enlightenment. It emphasized emotion, individualism, and the glorification of the past and nature.

Key Features of Romanticism

• Rejection of reason; imagination is emphasized.
• Preference for nature, often reflecting the mood of the artist.
• Idealistic vision, driving the romantic individual's constant search for freedom.
• Search for exotic and distant lands as a means to evade an unpleasant reality.
• Interest in the traditional and recovery of legends.
• Emphasis on the irrational and the mysterious.

Major Themes in Romantic Literature

• Love (often desperate and impossible).
• The ruins.
• The yearning for freedom.
• Nature, also reflecting the feelings of the poet.
• Death.
• Disappointment with ideals.
• The strength of destiny.
• Traditions.

Spanish Romanticism: Context and Development

The Romantic movement reached Spain later than other European countries, developing unique characteristics within its literary landscape.

Romantic Prose in Spain

The Genre of Manners (Costumbrismo)

This genre, prevalent in costumbrista articles, described vices and virtues, feelings, and the way people thought, offering a vivid portrayal of societal habits.

Types of Romantic Novels

The Historical Novel

In this type of novel, a historical backdrop gives credibility to the story. An example is El Señor de Bembibre by Enrique Gil y Carrasco.

The Social Novel

The social novel offers a critical view of society by showing the injustices and abuses of the ruling classes. These novels often spread in installments in magazines or newspapers, making them cheap and affordable. A notable example is María, la hija de un jornalero by Wenceslao Ayguals de Izco.

Mariano José de Larra: A Tormented Romantic

Born in Madrid in 1809, Larra was exiled to France and returned at age 9. Failures in his personal life and in politics fueled his nonconformity and critical attitude, making him a prototype of the tormented romantic man, to the point that he chose suicide.

Larra's Costumbrista Articles

Larra perpetuated the genre of the article, which began in the 18th century, with his characteristic wit and vivacity.

Characteristics of Romantic Drama

• Rugged landscapes, cemeteries, solitary monasteries, dungeons.
• Characteristic characters: the hero and heroine.
• Two major themes: love and freedom.
• The favorite genre is historical drama.

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer: Bridging Romanticism and Realism

Born in Seville in 1836, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer married a woman he did not love, and who is not recognized as the muse of his poetry. Bécquer lived through the end of Romanticism and the rise of Realism, leading him to seek a bare, simple, brief, and intimate expression in his work.