Spanish Realism and Modernism — Galdós, Clarín, Rubén Darío

Galdós — Leading Spanish Realist Novelist

Galdós: One of the best storytellers of the Castilian language and the most representative author of the realistic novel. His Episodios Nacionales are inspired by nineteenth-century Spanish history, and his novels that come from the observation of his own era are aimed at improving the life of the country. These novels are divided into three groups.

Thesis Novels

Thesis: Moved by their progressive spirit. Through symbolic characters, the reader notes the clash between liberal ideology and conservatism. Doña Perfecta.

Contemporáneas

Contemporáneas: From his position as omniscient narrator, he provides information about the problems that Spanish society had not yet resolved. Fortunata and Jacinta.

Spiritual Novels

Spiritual: The characters who star in these stories are kind and perform works of mercy. They represent their hopes for a better society. Mercy and Nazarin.

Clarín — Realist Critic of Spanish Society

Clarín: He is another great representative of Realism. He alternated between literature and journalism. With irony he portrayed the society of his time: he was sympathetic to the disadvantaged and ruthless with those who abused their privileges. The Regent is one of the best novels of the nineteenth century and contains some passages of naturalistic character.

Modernism — Turn-of-Century Artistic Shift

Modernism: At the end of the nineteenth century in Europe and America there was a revolution in art and thought. Artists sought to create visually appealing works or to expose their inner life. The recovery of subjectivity and the desire to achieve formal perfection are the foundation of Modernism. Modernists seek to escape from reality through the fantastic, the sumptuous, and the sensual. The Generation of '98 addressed current Spanish topics and adopted a more sober style. Modernists created a more cosmopolitan effect and an extravagant rhetoric after the introduction of neologisms and cultivated language. The lexicon of the noventayochistas is simpler, for the clarity of descriptions.

Rubén Darío — Stages of Modernist Poetry

Rubén Darío: His work has all the thematic and stylistic characteristics of the Modernist movement and in it there are two stages.

• First stage: A predominant sensual and gallant tone, the play of fantasy, exoticism, and sumptuous ambitions.
• Second stage: He takes stock of his life and also addresses social issues.