7 characteristics of the NOVEL of manners

The costumbrismo novel It is a literary genre that is characterized by portraying and interpreting the customs and types of personalities of a specific society. These texts tell a story through traditional folklore, ritual practices or simple everyday life.

In this lesson from a TEACHER, we are going to explain in detail the characteristics of the novel of manners, so that you can understand well the main features of this literary genre.

Before talking about the characteristics of the novel of manners, let's get to know this literary genre.Costumbrismo is an artistic movement that emerged at the beginning of the 19th century., just after Romanticism. This new genre was very accepted at the time, because It represented the folklore of a social group or a specific region. That is, it showed the customs and scenes that were part of the daily life and tradition of each place.

The movement It started in Spain and quickly spread throughout Italy and the rest of Europe. Starting in the mid-19th century it also arrived in America. The word "costumbrismo" comes from Italian and means "fashion" or "style."

Costumbrismo was a current that It manifested itself in painting, theater and, of course, literature. The expressive approach was very simple, since it did not analyze or judge situations, but simply showed everyday life.

This literary style arose because of the great discoveries and advances of the 19th century, which happened in a rushed manner. The fact of claiming certain customs became a necessary pillar for reinforce the identity of European society, in a framework of great changes.

In unProfesor we discover the different types of novels and their characteristics.

The novel of manners has very marked characteristics, which will allow us to identify this text whenever we find it in a book. These are the characteristics of the novel of manners:

1. They represent the Typical customs of a country or region, depending on the place the author chooses.
2. It reproduces reality in a practically photographic way, with quite crude scenes, rough vocabulary that can be rude.
3. The customs and way of life rooted in a specific town or sector are presented, giving much importance to one's own land, to one's own.
4. It is presented popularism and emphasis is placed on the picturesque.
5. It is limited to the description, almost pictorial, of the most external of daily life.
6. There is light humor that makes use of irony and sarcasm. This humor is present in all the arts.
7. The texts are very descriptive, since artists are interested in highlighting all the features that define the identity of a region.

It is a type of genre very close to realism, therefore, here we discover the characteristics of the realistic novel.

Taking into account the characteristics that we have explained to you about costumbrismo, you can already guess the topics that were discussed in the texts. However, we are going to explain to you what the themes of the novel of manners:

• The customs of rural and peasant life, in which rites, customs, entire families, folklore, etc. are described.
• The everyday life that characterizes cities. He especially pays attention to the most iconic figures, such as priests, teachers, politicians, etc.
• The mix between the countryside and the city, with a certain critical look at the new modern world that moves away from traditions and what was typical of a region.
• He typical language of the region, with the presence of word games, proverbs, ways of speaking and other characteristics specific to each place.
• The dances, rituals, ceremonies and popular festivals, the legends and superstitions that have developed throughout the history of a region.

We are going to introduce you to some of the authors of the costumbrista literary movement. If you want, you can choose the one that catches your attention the most and go to the library in search of your new reading title.

• Alejandro Pérez Lugin (1870 - 1926): He was a Spanish writer, journalist and filmmaker who stood out for his work in a sentimental costumbrista style. A clear example is The house of Troy of 1915. Many of his works were adapted to film.
• José María Vergara y Vergara (1831-1872): He was a Colombian writer, journalist and historian who participated in the creation of numerous literary newspapers and helped numerous European and Colombian costumbrista authors to spread their plays.
• Armando Palacios Valdés (1853 - 1938): Spanish writer and literary critic, who was one of the representatives of the realist movement. He stood out for his traditional works, such as Martha and Mary from 1883 and The sister of Saint Sulpiceof 1889.
• José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi (1776-1827): He was known as "the Mexican thinker" and was a novelist from Mexico highly acclaimed for his work. The Periquillo Sarmiento (1816). In addition, he was a great student of politics, literature, linguistics and historiography. In his work the dialect of the time, the student slang, the language of medicine and the slum ways of speaking are captured.
• Cecilia Böhl de Faber y de Ruiz de Larrea (1796 - 1877):She was a writer originally from Switzerland who lived in Spain and who signed her work with the pseudonym Fernán Caballero. She is considered the driving force behind the renewal of the Spanish novel.
• José María de Pereda (1833 - 1906): He was a Spanish writer and novelist who stood out for his novels of manners, such as: La Montalvez from 1888 and Rocks up of 1895.

What did you think of the characteristics of the novel of manners and its most important authors? If you want to continue learning more about this literary movement or others that have occurred throughout history, do not hesitate to consult our history of literature section.