Spanish Enlightenment and Baroque Literary Movements

The Enlightenment and Neoclassicism

The Enlightenment, also known as the Illustration, was a cultural movement that developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. This movement is defined by the following characteristics:

• The illustrated trust in reason and science as primary sources of knowledge, rejecting knowledge based solely on religious revelation.
• Followers mostly belonged to an educated bourgeoisie, defending the values of freedom and equality.
• They viewed education as the key instrument for achieving a more just and prosperous society.

The movement arrived in Spain with the Bourbon dynasty, which implemented the so-called enlightened despotism. The literary movement of this era is known as Neoclassicism. Neoclassical literature is characterized by its didactic purposes.

The Spanish Illustrated Essay

The essay was the preferred genre for the learned to spread their ideas. The main Spanish essayists of the eighteenth century were as follows:

• Fray Benito Jerónimo Feijoo (1676–1764): In his works, he attempted to fight what he called the "common errors" of his time, such as superstition and false patriotism.
• José Cadalso (1741–1782): He is the author of Moroccan Letters, a collection of 90 letters that criticize various aspects of Spain at the time.
• Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos (1744–1811): In his major work, Report on the Agrarian Law, he denounced the concentration of land in the hands of the nobility as a cause of Spain's agricultural backwardness.

Characteristics of Illustrated Theater

The illustrated theater was considered an ideal tool for educating society and disseminating enlightened views. The characteristics of eighteenth-century plays arose as a reaction to Baroque theater:

• Prose: Works were generally written in prose.
• Verisimilitude: The plays presented plausible arguments and realistic situations.
• The Rule of Three Units: Respect for the units of location, time, and action.

Eighteenth-Century Lyric Poetry

The principal poet of this period was Juan Meléndez Valdés. His work is associated with Rococo or Anacreontic poetry, which celebrates love, female pleasure, and beauty within an idealized nature.

The Baroque Period in Spain

The Baroque was a cultural movement that developed in Spain and throughout Europe during the eighteenth century. This period coincided with the reigns of Philip III, Philip IV, and Charles II. It has several distinctive features:

• Political and economic crisis: A decline began that contrasted with the splendor of literature and the arts.
• Rise of the nobility: Characterized by absolute monarchy, an obsession with purity of blood, social immobility, and a return to traditional religion.
• Disillusioned vision of existence: Central themes included death, the transience of life, and inconsistency.
• Fascination with difficulty: The style is characterized by ornate shapes and a luxurious aesthetic.
• Taste for contrast: In the theater, tragedy and comedy were frequently mixed.

The Corral de Comedias and Social Theater

Corrales de comedias were interior courtyards adapted to accommodate steady theatrical performances. These venues were attended by all social strata:

• Nobles: They were located in the private chambers.
• Clerics: They occupied the tertulia (gathering area).
• The common people: They were distributed by gender, with women in the cazuela (the pot) and men in the patio (the courtyard).