Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
nasty to the loss of Spain's last imperial
outpost, the nation's cultural life under-
goes changes that parallel the great rever-
sal of fortune in its political life. The 18th
century, broadly speaking, reflects the
overwhelming influence of the new
Bourbon monarchy and the hegemony of
France in most dimensions of intellectual
activity. The new regime in Madrid estab-
lishes institutions based on French mod-
els, including the Royal Academies of
Language and History and the National
Library. In the theater French influence
is reflected in the plays of Leandro
Fernández de Moratín and his contempo-
raries, while “fabulists” such as Félix M.
Samaniego and Tomás Iriarte are inspired
by the tales of La Fontaine. José Cadalso,
in his
Cartas marruecas,
imitates Montes-
quieu's
Lettres persannes.
Gaspar Melchor
de Jovellanos, jurist and advocate of en-
lightened reform, is a champion of pro-
gressive French principles who is obliged
during his later years to take part in his
country's resistance to invasion by French
armies.
Although the artists of 18th-century Spain
are less numerous and impressive than
those of the Siglo de Oro, Francisco de
Goya y Lucientes adorns its closing de-
cades with powerfully insightful portraits
of the royal family and follows with the
brutally intense drawings contained in
his series the
Disasters of War
during the
struggle against Napoléon. In the realm
of music Father Antonio Soler offers a
wide range of instrumental and vocal
compositions both in the form of religious
and secular themes. During the 19th cen-
tury French influence continued to pre-
dominate despite the fact that the first
three decades had been taken up with
the national military struggle against
France and its political aftermath.
Romanticism came late to Spain but found
expression in the plays of the duke of
Rivas (
Don Álvaro
) and José Zorrilla (
Don
Juan Tenorio
). José de Espronceda and
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer represent con-
trasting poetic responses to romantic
influences, the former filled with exu-
berance and passion, the latter reflecting
quiet, deep feeling. Mariano José de
Larra, a writer of deep emotion, becomes
caught up in his country's seemingly end-
less struggle. Although he commits sui-
cide at 36, he profoundly influences the
future Generation of '98. During the lat-
ter part of the 19th century the currents
of realism sweep over Spain, involving
such novelists as Benito Pérez Galdós
(
Doña Perfecta, Episodios Nacionales
), Emilia
Pardo Bazán (
Los Pazos de Ulloa
), Juan
Valera (
Pepita Jiménez
), and Vicente Blasco
Ibáñez (
La Barraca, Los cuatro jinetes del
apocalipsis
).
In Portugal, as in Spain, the 18th century's
cultural scene is dominated by external
influences, particularly those emanating
from France. Likewise, the following
century (after the end of the Napoleonic
Wars and the subsidence of dynastic
quarrels) sees the successive influence of
romanticism and realism. João Baptista
de Almeida Garrett, poet and playwright,
is a major force in shaping a Portuguese
literary identity, an enterprise continued
by Alexandre Herculano. Toward the
end of the century José Maria Eça de
Queirós achieves international renown
with his perceptive novels portraying
the realities of his country's changing
social structure (
Os Maias
and
O crime do
Padre Amaro
).
Search WWH ::
Custom Search