Spanish Enlightenment Literature: Prose and Poetic Forms

18th Century Spanish Prose: The Essay

During the first half of the 18th century, the influence of French Neoclassical ideas and the reaction against the Baroque style fostered a literature aimed at renewing Spanish culture and society. The essay was the most appropriate form, especially for Father Feijoo and Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos.

Benito Jerónimo Feijoo: A Visionary Thinker

• His work had a clear didactic purpose and a social dimension: it aimed to teach people what he considered the truth and to attack misconceptions and superstition.
• Example: Teatro Crítico Universal.
• His style was clear and precise. He was one of the founders of modern scientific language.

Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos: Reformer and Writer

• Besides being a writer, Jovellanos was a key political figure in Spain during the second half of the 18th century. He sought to apply European Enlightenment ideas to solve social problems.
• The keystone of his thought was the belief that reason and education are the source of happiness, and politicians should ensure they serve the people.
• His work was linked to the political offices he held, but a central theme of his writings, such as the Report on the Agrarian Law, was the need to modernize Spain.

Diego de Torres Villarroel: Bridging Baroque and Neoclassicism

His work, which is closer to the Baroque than to Neoclassicism, was influenced by Francisco de Quevedo. It exhibits:

• The same contradiction between the religious and the secular.
• A tragic humor that leads the reader to laugh at themselves.
• An autobiographical tone.

Father José Francisco de Isla: Satire and Moral Purpose

Father Isla was a priest who sought to restore good sense, love, and order in sermons, which he considered a tool to educate the people.

• His History of the Famous Preacher Friar Gerund of Campazas, alias Zotes is a satirical novel with a didactic and moral purpose.

José Cadalso: Critical Voice of the Enlightenment

All his work has a very critical tone. He wrote poetry, essays, and an epistolary novel.

• Example: Moroccan Letters.
• He wrote the first novel of Spanish Pre-Romanticism.

18th Century Spanish Poetry: Neoclassical Trends

Neoclassical poetry emerged around 1750 in Spain. Its features include:

• Imposition of reason.
• Search for good taste.
• Belief that poetry should be useful.
• Two favorite genres: lyric poetry and fable.

Lyric Poetry: Juan Meléndez Valdés

His lyric poetry displayed:

• His Anacreontic Odes, poems that express a taste for decoration, sensuality, and elegance.
• Moral and philosophical poetry, which expresses Enlightenment ideas, found in his Philosophical and Sacred Odes.

Didactic Fables: Tomás de Iriarte and Félix María de Samaniego

• Tomás de Iriarte gained fame with the publication of his Literary Fables.
• Félix María de Samaniego is the author of Moral Fables.
• Both ridiculed human failings and offered advice for proper social behavior.