Spanish Post-Romanticism: Bécquer and Rosalía de Castro

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer: Life and Legacy

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer was born in Seville in 1836. His family was ruined, and he was orphaned at five years old. When he was very young, an interest in reading was aroused. Later, he became interested in painting but soon discovered his literary vocation. He published his poems in 1854. He did not achieve the publication of his Rimas during his lifetime because he lost the manuscript and had to rebuild it from memory. He married Casta, but he was still in love with Julia Espín. He died in Madrid in 1870 in poverty. His friends published the Rimas posthumously. His most important work is a collection of fantastic tales and legends entitled Leyendas.

Characteristics of the Rimas

The Rimas consist of 79 short poems, mostly using assonance rhyme. These poems are full of deep feelings. The fundamental issue is frustration because the poet cannot achieve his desires. The poems are brief and have an appellate structure; that is, they are directed at a "you" (tú). The last verse often remains in suspension or is a pie quebrado (broken foot).

His style moves away from the sensationalism, colorful sonority, and rhetoric of the Romanticism of the first half of the 19th century. It features a soft rhythm with simple vocabulary and shows the influence of popular poetry: direct and brief, with metrics and resources based on the rate of repetition.

Rosalía de Castro: The Voice of the Rexurdimento

Rosalía de Castro was born in Santiago de Compostela in 1837. She soon showed her talent for art, especially with music. She married Manuel Murguía and contributed significantly to the Rexurdimento. She died in Padrón in 1885 at 48 years old.

Major Works and Existential Themes

En las orillas del Sar is her most important work in Castilian. In it, she exalts Galician manners while deepening her existential gloom. She feels anguish and pain within herself. Additionally, she looks inward, believing that love is a mirage and that the fate of everyone is breathing solitude. These poems have an elegiac tone, expressing a deep regret for having lost religious faith, the illusion of life, and happiness.

Literary Style and Social Criticism

The themes developed in her works include the idealization of Galicia, social criticism, and existential pessimism. Her literary style is simple, without excessive adornments. She rejects everyday words and prefers metaphors laden with symbolic connotations, comparisons, assonance, and rhythms with parallelisms.