Spanish Romanticism: Key Poets and Prose

Romanticism: Artistic and Cultural Movement

Romanticism, an artistic and cultural movement, formed at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The artist sought an ideal (love) that collided with a feeling of disappointment and anguish. This conflict produced rebellion, solitude, and evasion into the past or exotic places, or even suicide. To counter this, Romanticism employed fantasy and dreams.

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer

Considered the initiator of modern Spanish poetry.

• Rimas de Amor: The search for an unattainable ideal in love, death, or the meaninglessness of life.
• Rimas Metapoéticas: These reflect the concept of poetry itself.

Rosalía de Castro

She is one of the most important voices of poetry in Galician and Spanish.

• Work (Cantares Gallegos and Follas Novas): In these poems, she denounced injustices suffered by Galicia, such as emigration. In Follas Novas, a bleak vision of life is characterized by themes like loneliness, death, and the pain of existence.
• Works in Castilian (On the Banks of Sar): In these works, the author's pessimism and subjectivity are accentuated. The external world is present only as a poetic voice to remember her solitude, which usually stems from the clash between dreams and reality.

The Romantic Prose

The first prose forms in Spain were the historical novel and the early journalistic historical article. The article relates to the desire for evasion present in Larra's pieces. Larra offered a critical analysis of Spanish society in his time and also expressed concern for the reality of Spain. These articles are often told in the first person, from which a reflection of his general character, humor, and deep pessimism can be extracted.

The Romantic Drama

Spanish Romantic drama consists of a set of works written between 1834 and 1844. It features plots that unfold in different locations and characters with Romantic traits; the men are loners and the women represent the ideal. Scenic effects were sought in sets, sound, or lighting. Written in prose and verse, the works in verse form employ more stanzas.

Don Juan Tenorio, José Zorrilla

This is the most popular drama of Spanish Romanticism. Don Juan is a rebellious and free character. Key elements include:

• The real love for Inés.
• The conversation and final salvation of the seducer's soul.