Novel Techniques: 20th Century and Post-War Spain

Twentieth Century Novel Characteristics

It is characterized by significant technical innovations. The narrative technique experiences a dramatic renewal.

Narrator and Point of View

The narrator tends to be objective, acting as a film camera. It merely reports what the characters say or do. Some techniques favor the narrator's "disappearance":

• Dialogue gains importance and occupies much of the novel.
• The free indirect style is introduced, using the third person.
• First-person narrative is often used, allowing access to much information. This is taken to its extreme with interior monologue.
• Sometimes, second-person narrative is used, where the narrator tells "you" the facts, addressing either another person or the self.

Argument Focus

The argument is not always a priority, and the reader may get the impression that "nothing happens" because closer attention is paid to other aspects.

Structural Innovations

Novelists do not structure the argument using the traditional linear scheme: introduction, development, and denouement. Sometimes the final outcome is known at first. At other times, there is no end. The facts are not told as they happen but can be arranged differently from the chronological order. This breaks linear and logical progression.

Characters, Space, and Time

The most remarkable novelty is the emergence of the collective protagonist. In some novels, the protagonist is not a single individual but a group. The space can be very limited or very extensive. In the contemporary novel, time may be concentrated and reduced to a few days, or even a few hours, or extended beyond measure.

Stream of Consciousness Technique

It is a technique in which the narrator portrays the character's thoughts, often illogical and disorderly, as ideas flow in the human mind.

Spanish Post-War Novel

The outbreak of World War II further aggravated the prevailing situation in the country. Isolation and political repression marked a grueling period. These were years of cultural impoverishment.

Spanish Novel of the 1940s

It is characterized by the break with the previous stage and subsequent isolation. The novel of these years existed outside the innovations of European and American narrative. The works reflect the human problems they address. They capture the squalor of the environment and the prevailing pessimism.

Spanish Novel of the 1950s

In the 1950s, the novel experienced an important change, gaining momentum from social realism. Literature engages with reality. A realistic and objective novel is written, featuring committed complaints using colloquial and direct language. The works reflect Spanish social reality and witness human misery, monotony, and the emptiness that prevailed.

Spanish Novel of the 1960s and 1970s

The 1960s are characterized by the search for new literary forms. In the novel of the 1960s, more varied and profound realities are explored. And although it continues to offer a pessimistic view of Spanish reality, a more developed approach and major technical innovation become clear. At this stage, the impact of the so-called "boom" of Latin American narrative is evident. In the 1970s, the narrative continued its desire for renewal and experimentation.

Spanish Novel After 1975

The novel written after Franco's death is known for its eclecticism. Contemporary narrative features a variety of themes and styles. Freedom in all walks of life results in the absence of slogans, diversity of approaches, and the disappearance of censorship.