Spanish Literature and the Enlightenment

Poetry

This genre often clashed with rationalism and the didactic aims of literature; expressing feelings was not well received.

Historical issues predominated, along with pastoral and anacreontic themes (extolling elementary pleasures and wine).

Featured Poets

Juan Meléndez Valdés, Tomás de Iriarte, and Félix Samaniego. The latter two are known for their fables.

Prose

The Essay: A study or written reflection on any subject affecting humanity (political, economic, social, literary, philosophical, etc.) that prompts the reader to think about the proposed topic.

• Benito Jerónimo Feijoo: A monk who taught at the University of Oviedo. He was a great promoter of European thought at the time. Much of his work was dedicated to debunking false superstitions and folk beliefs. He defended reason and experience as the only valid criteria in the scientific field.
• José Cadalso: A defender of enlightened ideas and a reformist, he was a connoisseur of European culture of his time and cultivated all genres. His most famous work is "Letters from Morocco" (1789). It is an epistolary work consisting of 90 letters exchanged by three characters: Gazel, Ben-Beley, and Nuño.

Gazel is a North African member of the ambassador's entourage from his country, who stays in Spain to study its customs. His impressions are sent to Master Ben-Beley, a Muslim living in Morocco. In Spain, Gazel meets Nuño, who embodies the figure of the reasoning intellectual but is imbued with strong patriotism. During their travels around Spain, they have long conversations, offering various views on each topic. The appeal lies in using a foreigner to highlight the country's shortcomings, a device previously used by Montesquieu in his "Persian Letters".

• Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos: A defender of enlightened ideas, he was appointed Minister of Grace and Justice in 1779 but dismissed the following year due to political pressure from traditionalists who opposed his reforms. Persecuted for his ideas, he was jailed for seven years in the castle of Bellver (Mallorca). He was a moderate figure whose work focused on teaching and dissemination. His prose and essays cover political, economic, and educational topics.

His most important works belong to the essay genre, such as "Report on the Agrarian Law" and "General Plan for Public Education".

Since the beginning of the 18th century, a critical spirit began to question the norms and beliefs of the so-called Old Regime. This period is known as the Enlightenment (or Illustration), characterized by reason as the foundation of all knowledge, and the belief that study and knowledge are the only way to improve society and humanity. The prevailing spirit supported creation dedicated to language and science. The objective was to disseminate knowledge among the people, based on the belief that if society improves, the world can improve. There was a strong confidence in progress. This era is also identified with Neoclassicism, which returned to valuing the art of the classical Greco-Latin and Renaissance periods. Literature became predominantly didactic, with reason dominating over sentiment. The Enlightenment was a movement that originated in France.

Diderot and d'Alembert: The Encyclopedia

Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert attempted to summarize all knowledge in a work known as "The Encyclopedia," of which 37 volumes were published. The basis of this monumental work included:

• Confidence in reason.
• Observation and experience as the basis of science.
• Religious tolerance.
• Aspiration for a better world through knowledge.
• Moral virtue independent of religious beliefs.

Monarchs of that era practiced enlightened despotism ("all for the people, but without the people"). There was a significant rise of the bourgeoisie. Initially, the enlightened supported the absolute power of monarchs, who were responsible for creating institutions to disseminate knowledge; however, as the century progressed, this relationship changed.

These reforms met with opposition from the clergy and the Church. The Bourbons sought support. In 1713, the RAE (Royal Spanish Language Academy) was founded. Authorities developed a dictionary, published the first Spanish spelling rules, and published the first grammar.