5 authors of Spanish REALISM and their works

The Realism it was an aesthetic and artistic movement that arose in the middle of the XIX as a response to the preceding current of Romanticism that bet on a subjective and emotional art. In this new perspective, the realistic authors preferred to return to reality and, for this, they cultivated a type of art and more objective literature in which it was intended to describe and analyze the moment in which they lived. In Spain, the Realism movement had many followers and, of all of them, there are some authors who stand out above the rest. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to discover you 5 most relevant Spanish Realism authors and that they left an important legacy in the history of our literature.

Index

1. Literary realism in Spain: summary
2. Juan Valera, one of the authors of Realism in Spain
3. Benito Pérez Galdós, the best known realist author
4. Emilia Pardo Bazán, writer of Spanish Realism
5. Leopoldo Alas (Clarín), another of the authors of Realism
6. Vicente Blasco Ibáñez

Before getting to know the most important authors of Spanish Realism, it is essential that we stop briefly to know what the realistic movement in literature Spanish. The Realism was a movement that emerged in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century as a reaction to the Romanticism, predominant artistic trend since the 18th century.

It can be considered France as the forerunner of Realism, a country in which movements that were contrary to what was promoted by the romantics began to be created. The idea of ​​"art for art's sake" began to be defended, that is, creating artistic works with no other meaning beyond pure artistic pleasure. A motto that what he did was to defend the independence of the work with respect to its author and his emotions.

Realism meant a return to reality, a return to society, people and events that took place in their historical context. With this, the realist artists sought to offer a meticulous portrait of society, an analytical method that, in turn, made it possible to assess and analyze the world in which they lived. Among the realist authors of Europe it is worth mentioning such prominent names as Balzac or Stendhal.

Of the most used genres of Realism, it is worth highlighting the importance of the novel, being a literary genre that allowed a detailed description and a large extension of the works. The authors of Realism had a analytical and critical will in relation to his time, but in his texts there was no trace of his thought or his opinions, unlike what happened with the romantics. As they themselves said, the realistic authors they were "historians of the present."

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We are already beginning to get to know the main authors of Spanish Realism by mentioning one of the first authors realists in Spain: Juan Valera. This author rejected Romanticism from the beginning of his literary career but, also, he clashed with realistic ideas since he did not want to reject his fantasy completely. Today, some critics regard Valera as the best prose writer of the XIX.

However, she is regarded as a realist because she places her works in real environments and he creates very believable and well-knit characters. Without being 100% realistic or romantic, this author left in the Spanish cultural legacy some very outstanding works, especially within the genre of the novel:

• Pepita Jimenez: It is a novel written in letter form. Here we will learn the story of a widow who tries to get a religious to leave the seminary.
• Juanita la Larga: It is a novel in which the main character wants to marry Don Paco.

But if we talk about authors of Spanish Realism, we must mention one of the most important names in the movement: Benito Pérez Galdós. In fact, Galdós is considered the maximum exponent of Realism in Spain and the most representative writer of this literary trend.

His visit to Paris in 1867 brought him into contact with the realist current defended by Balzac, which formed the basis of his aesthetics and his literary style. Galdós was anticlerical and progressive, an ideology that, over the years, evolved to become a humanist socialist.

Within their realistic works, we highlight the following:

• National Episodes: This is an arduous project that Galdós carried out and that total 46 volumes in which we are offered a historical and literary account of 19th century Spain. Here they delve into topics such as the Spanish War of Independence or the Restoration.
• Perfect Lady: it is one of the first novels of Galdós and that is framed within the first literary time of him.
• Fortunata and Jacinta: It is one of the most recognized and studied novels of Galdós. It is part of his deepest and most progressive stage, a stage that the author himself baptized with the name of "Contemporary Spanish Novels". Is a 100% realistic novel and offers us a look at the reality of Spain at the time.

The influence of Galdós is very important in the history of Spanish literature, in fact, he was three times to He was about to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature but, due to the misgivings that he aroused in society at the time, he could not achieve it. In the generation of '98the influence of it can be felt a lot, especially in Valle-Inclán that, in his texts, offers an analytical and committed vision.

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We will now talk about one of the most important realistic writers of the country: Emilia Pardo Bazán. Originally from Galicia, this author was a personality closely linked to the world of culture and literature of the moment; in fact, she conducted a large number of studies that focused on analyzing the literature of her time. One of the most prominent texts of this style is "The heartfelt question."

Some critics consider Pardo Bazán to be more naturalist that realistic for his extremely analytical and detailed attitude that he has in his works. A method that is closer to the scientific method than the literary one, now widely defended by Naturalism.

From his construction site, we highlight the following production:

• Tales of Marianela: This is a volume that compiles the short stories published by the author.
• The rostrum: It is the most naturalistic novel by the writer and, in it, the harsh conditions experienced by factory workers are described.
• The pazos de Ulloa: A novel that moves between the Naturalism of her and the Realism in which the descriptions of landscapes of Galicia abound.

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Leopoldo Alas He is another of the best known and most prominent Spanish Realism authors. Originally from Zamora, this realist traveled to study for a doctorate in Madrid and it was here that he lost his Christian faith. This fact will profoundly mark his career and literary production, since he spent a large part of his life in constant spiritual struggle. "Clarín" is the pseudonym with which he signed his texts from his 23 years, some writings in which he defended republican and progressive ideas.

In his artistic career, Clarín stood out as journalist and columnist. In fact, he collaborated in newspapers as a literary critic and creating opinion articles that analyzed the situation in Spain at the time. His style is characterized by being sarcastic and by launching a critical vision of the social and cultural panorama. But, in addition, he also wrote novels and short stories. Within his literary production, we highlight the following:

• Paliques: It is a compilation of journalistic texts written by Clarín throughout his life.
• Goodbye lamb: This is a short novel that has become a classic in drama.
• The Regent: It is the best known work of Clarín and the most studied. It is a novel that is heavily influenced by Flaubert and his Madame Bovary. Here we know a story that takes place in Vetusta, a supposed typical Spanish city that is characterized by its traditionalism and its rural essence.

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We conclude this review of the writers of Spanish Realism to talk about another great name of this literary artistic trend: Vicente Blasco Ibáñez. He was a Valencian author who defended a republican ideology for which he was arrested on several occasions. His literary career goes hand in hand with his political career, since he was a deputy for 7 legislatures.

In the literary field, Blasco Ibáñez produced a large number of novels and, the vast majority, are set in the Valencian Community. There are some critics who consider this author as the "Spanish Zola", basically because he has a tendency to present sordid environments, because he has a concern for biological inheritance, etc.

Inside the literary works of the author, we highlight the following.

• The four horsemen of the apocalypse: It is the great novel of the author with which, in fact, he achieved worldwide fame. It is a work that defends the position of the Allies in the Great War.
• The barrack: It is a novel set in Valencia and that tells us about provincial life.
• Cathedral: It is also an interesting work in the life of the author and, in it, he focuses on defending his political ideas.

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If you want to read more articles similar to Authors of Spanish Realism, we recommend that you enter our category of History of Literature.

• Oleza, J. (2002). Realism and naturalism in the Spanish novel. Alicante: Miguel de Cervantes Virtual Library, 21-35.
• Correa, G. (1982). Bovarism and the Spanish Realist Novel 66.
• Pegenaute, L. (2004). The realistic era and the end of the century. History of translation in Spain, 397-478.