Spanish Realist literature

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spanish Realist literature is the literature written in Spain during the second half of the 19th century, following the Realist movement which prevailed in Europe.

When the tendencies of the Romantic movement decreased, a new literary tendency overcomed in Europe in the middle of the 19th century: the Realism. It is a current coming from France towards 1850 which developed already existing germs in the Romanticism, mainly the costumbrism. The romantic ideas would dissolve little by little and it was began to react against the art by the art; the fantasy was tired of the imaginative and colorful depictions, and now it contemplated objectively the people, society, and actions. The main precursor was Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) who, with works like The Human Comedy, imposed a moral and social aim in the novel. This purpose, becoming almost exclusive, quickly led to the Naturalism.

The term realist was used for the first time in 1850, referred to the painting, but it was exported after to the rest of the arts. In literature it was applied mainly to the novel. Perhaps one of the reasons for the popular success of novels is their publication in newspapers of the time. The publishers issued the novel by deliveries to make the public buy the newspaper daily. The attitude of the realistic writer is analytical and critical, and usually it stays appart from what it relates. The main novels of the 19th century were of social character, and the writers were considered themselves to be "historians of the present time".

Contents

[edit] Realism and Naturalism in Spain

In Spain, the Realism installed with extreme facility, since a precedent in picaresque novels and Don Quixote existed. It reached its maximum splendor in the second half of the 19th century (Juan Valera, Pereda and Galdós), although not reaching the rigurosity of the canons established by the school of Balzac.

  • In Galdós, and later in Clarín, Pardo Bazán and Blasco Ibáñez, clear naturalistic influences exist, but without the scientific and experimental foundations that Émile Zola wanted to imprint in its works. They solely share the spirit of fight against the conservative ideology and, in many occasions, its subversive behavior.
  • The realistic novel generally reflects regional ambients, like that of Pereda in Cantabria, Juan Valera in Andalusia, Clarín in Asturias, etc. Benito Perez Galdós is an exception, because he prefers to acclimate himself in the Madrilenian urban space.

The Naturalism in Spain, like in France, had also its detractors and great controversies were created. Between the opponents, Pedro Antonio de Alarcón and José María de Pereda are found, who got to describe it as immoral. Its most exalted defenders were Benito Perez Galdós and Emilia Pardo Bazán. The hardest controversy took place as of 1883, as a result of the publication of La cuestión palpitante (the trembling question) of Pardo Bazán.

[edit] Generation of the '68

This generation is formed by a series of writers considered to be the new national generation. The period of maximum coincidence as a generation took place in the 1880s. This generation is integrated by: Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, Jose María de Pereda, Benito Pérez Galdós, Juan Valera, Leopoldo Alas (Clarín), Emilia Pardo Bazán and Armando Palacio Valdés.

The characteristics that define this group are class conscience and optimism (that later will turn into pesimism because of the 1868 revolution). At an individual level, each one displays an own style. Out of all the authors of this group, Alarcón is the only who displays some characteristics inherited from the Romanticism, mainly the romantic costumbrism. This influence is appreciated clearly in Cuentos amatorios (1881), Historias nacionales (1881) y Narraciones inverosímiles (1881).

[edit] Further contents

[edit] References

  • López Jiménez, Luis. El Naturalismo y España: Valera frente a Zola. Madrid: Pearson Alhambra, 1977. ISBN 84-205-0355-X
  • Miralles García, Enrique. La novela española de la Restauración (1875-1885): sus formas y enunciados narrativos. Barcelona: Puvill, 1979. ISBN 84-85202-12-0
  • Miranda García, Soledad. Religión y clero en la gran novela española del siglo XIX. Madrid: Pegaso, 1982. ISBN 84-85244-09-5
  • Oleza, Joan. La novela del siglo XIX: del parto a la crisis de una ideología. Valencia: Bello, 1976. ISBN 84-212-0039-9
  • Pattison, Walter T. El naturalismo español: historia externa de un movimiento literario. Madrid: Gredos, 1969. ISBN 84-249-0279-3
  • Villanueva Prieto, Francisco Darío. Teorías del realismo literario. Pozuelo de Alarcón: Espasa-Calpe, 1992. ISBN 84-239-1771-1
  • Many Authors. Polémica sobre el realismo. Buenos Aires: Tiempo Contemporáneo, 1972.

[edit] See also

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../s/p/a/Spanish_Realist_literature_0fe7.html"
In other languages