Spanish Enlightenment literature is the literature of Spain written during the Age of Enlightenment.
During the 18th century a new mentality emerged (in essence a continuation of the Renaissance) which swept away the old values of the Baroque era and was given the name the Enlightenment. This movement is based on a critical spirit, on the predominance of reason and experience, philosophy and science being the most valued sources of knowledge. The period is also known as the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason. In short, human happiness was pursued by means of culture and progress. Art and literature began to move towards a new classicism (Neoclassicism). Expressions of feeling were avoided, norms and academic rules were followed, and balance and harmony were valued. By the end of the century, so much rigidity led to a reaction in the form of a return to the world of feelings; this movement is known as Pre-Romanticism.
Historical context
The 18th century began with the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). The European powers, worried about the hegemonic power of the French King Louis XIV, together with his grandson Philip V of Spain, whom Charles II had named heir to the throne, formed the Grand Alliance and endorsed the attempt of Archduke Charles of Austria to accede to the crown. After the Treaty of Utrecht, Philip V (1700–1746) was recognized as King of Spain, although he later lost his dominions in Menorca and Gibraltar. In 1724, he abdicated in favor of his son Louis I, but when the latter died months later, he returned to assume the Spanish throne. During his reign, he developed a centralist policy and reorganized the Public Treasury.
After the death of Philip V, Ferdinand VI (1746–1759) succeeded him, who, with ministers like Carvajal and the Marquess of Ensenada, improved the country's communications and road network, encouraged naval constructions and favored the development of the sciences.
After the reign of Ferdinand VI, his half-brother Charles III succeeded him on the throne. The prototype of an enlightened monarch, he relied on the support of important ministers, like José Moñino, Pedro Rodríguez, Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea, Jerónimo Grimaldi and Leopoldo de Gregorio. Without leaving the model of the Ancien Régime, he modernized the country, repopulated the Sierra Morena, and favored education, commerce and public works.
During the reign of Charles IV, the French Revolution broke out in 1789. Because of his weakness and the ambition of Minister Godoy, he had to abdicate in favour of his son Ferdinand VII, after the invasion by the French in 1808.
The Enlightenment in Europe
In the last decades of the 17th century, the Ancien Régime, based on the predominance of the ecclesiastical, military and aristocratic classes, entered into crisis in Europe. In this century, Europe critically reviewed the established order. As opposed to previous thought, it proposed reason as the universal method of knowledge, systematic criticism, and promoted the experimental method and studies based on reason itself as the basis of the epistemology that sustained it, as opposed to the argument of authority that sustained thought in previous centuries.
Knowledge moved from courtly gatherings to bourgeois salons, cafés or cultural institutions. The need was felt to travel for study or pleasure, to learn other languages, to practice sports to strengthen the body or to improve the living conditions of the citizens.
In this new attitude, the enlightened person is a philanthropist who cares for others, and proposes and undertakes reforms in aspects related to culture and society. They defend religious tolerance, practice skepticism, and even go so far as to attack religions. In opposition to absolute monarchies, Montesquieu defended the foundations of modern constitutionalism and the separation of the legislative, executive and judicial powers. The enlightened wanted to enjoy freedom and to choose their own rulers. All this inspired the motto of the French Revolution: Freedom, Equality, Fraternity.
The Enlightenment theories had their origin in England, although they reached their peak in France, where they were collected in the Encyclopédie (1751–1772), edited by Jean Le Rond d'Alembert and Denis Diderot. In this work, they gathered all the existing knowledge of their time, in alphabetical order.
The Enlightenment in Spain
Antecedents of reformism: the of the 18th century During the Habsburg period, Spain practically abandoned scientific studies, which were seen with suspicion and continuously persecuted by the Inquisition. The delay with regard to Europe was evident at the beginning of the 18th century. Nevertheless, some intellectuals since the end of the 17th century refused to abandon their research; not without risk, they were always up-to-date on European discoveries in astronomy, medicine, mathematics or botany. These scholars are the so-called ('innovators', called so contemptuously). They spread the theories of Galileo Galilei, Kepler, Linnaeus and Isaac Newton. Among the , , , Juan Caramuel, , and stand out. In the 18th century, the legacy they left was continued by other scientists like Jorge Juan, Cosme Bueno, and Antonio de Ulloa.
Adoption of the Enlightenment in Spain After the War of Succession, the Bourbons considered Spain a nation submerged in misery and ignorance. The Iberian Peninsula barely had seven and a half million inhabitants. With a French political conception, Philip V fortified the monarchic power and promoted a process of centralization in the nation, abolishing the fueros and laws of Aragón and Catalonia. The Church maintained its dominance, although some religious orders like the Jesuits fell by the time of Charles III. On the other hand, the common people, made up of ranchers, crop farmers, civil servants and the marginalized, lacked rights. The monarchs gradually reduced some privileges of the hereditary aristocracy and adopted a regalist or critical position towards the church, with the intent of carrying out a series of basic reforms. At the end of century, the quality of life of the Spanish people had been improved, as demonstrated by the increase in population of almost three million inhabitants, a figure which is nevertheless smaller than that of other European countries.
Enlightenment ideas entered Spain through various channels: The diffusion of the ideas of some Enlightenment scholars, including Gregorio Mayans and Benito Jerónimo Feijoo, of the 18th century. The propagation of French encyclopedist ideas (Rousseau, Voltaire, Montesquieu), in spite of the censorship of the time to avoid their introduction in the Peninsula and the vigilance of the Inquisition. The translation of French books of all genres and the hiring of foreign professors or scholars in certain subjects. Scholars and intellectuals' academic trips and knowledge of European life and customs. The appearance of newspapers or publications where enlightenment ideas were disseminated. The creation of a series of cultural institutions and economic societies of friends of the country aimed at promoting the cultural, social and economic progress of Spain through the reform of traditional practices. The first of these societies was founded in the Basque Country in 1765, and soon spread throughout the nation. They were made up of enlightened people from the aristocracy, the bourgeoisie and the clergy. In this century organizations of great importance were created, such as the Royal Spanish Academy, founded for the benefit of the language, under the motto "it purifies, fixes and shines". The society aimed to establish norms for the correct use of language, and its first effort was devoted to the (Dictionary of the Spanish Language), known then as the (Dictionary of Authorities), in six volumes (1726–1739). The etymology of each word can be found in it, and each meaning is accompanied by a brief quotation from a famous writer (the authorities) that proves its existence and illustrates its use. Other institutions that emerged at the time were the (National Library, 1712), the (Royal Academy of History, 1736), the (Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid, 1755), the (Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, 1751), the (Royal Academy of the Good Writings of Barcelona, 1752) and the (Museum of Prado, 1785).
The high point of the Enlightenment in Spain occurred during the reign of Charles III and its decline, around the time of the French Revolution (1789) and the Napoleonic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula (1808). The reformers, in spite of counting on the support of the Crown, did not obtain the recognition of the privileged groups; many were described as pro-French and accused of attacking Spanish traditions and religious education. After the French Revolution, some were persecuted and even imprisoned.
Spanish in the 18th century In this century, a struggle was waged in favor of clarity and naturalness of artistic language, in which many writers fought against the remnants of the Baroque style that still survived – that is to say, the use of artifice to which the late Baroque had come.
Latin was used in the universities as an academic language, but it was gradually replaced in that role. Spaniards wanted to return to the splendor of the Golden Age as a literary language, but for that it was necessary to develop forms of expression in accordance with the European experimental sciences, a task which was carried out by Feijoo, Sarmiento, Mayans, Jovellanos, Forner, and Capmany, among others. In 1813, after the War of Independence, the Board created by the Regency to carry out a general reform of education ordered the exclusive use of the Spanish in the university.
Many of the enlightened people, for the modernization of Spain, defended the introduction of the teaching of other languages (French, English, Italian) in the centers, and the translation of outstanding works into Castilian. The former was opposed by those who defended the priority of the classic languages (Latin and Greek) over modern languages, and the latter by those who rejected translations because they would introduce unnecessary foreign words into the Spanish language and would endanger its identity. Two positions thus arose: , which defended a pure language, without mixing vocabulary or strange turns of phrase, with words documented in the Authorities (the Royal Spanish Academy); and , which was entirely opposed to the penetration of neologisms, mainly foreign ones, accusing its opponents of defiling the language.
Stages of 18th-century literature Three stages in 18th-century Spanish literature can be distinguished: Anti-baroquism (until approximately 1750): writers fought against the style of the late Baroque, considered excessively rhetorical and convoluted. Recreational literature is not cultivated, but writers were more interested in essays and satire, using the language with simplicity and purity. Neoclassicism (until the late 18th century): an interest in French and Italian classicism is seen. The writers also imitated ancient Greek and Roman classics and its peak extended from the reign of Ferdinand VI until well into the 19th century. Pre-Romanticism (late 18th and early 19th centuries): the influence of the English philosopher John Locke, as well as the French Étienne Bonnot de Condillac, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Denis Diderot, led to a new sentiment, dissatisfaction with the tyranny of reason, which asserts the right of individuals to express their personal emotions (then repressed by the neoclassicals), among which is fundamentally love. This current heralded the decline of neoclassicism and opened the doors to Romanticism.
Prose Narrative is almost non-existent in Spain during this period. It is practically reduced to by Diego de Torres Villarroel, or the story by José Francisco de Isla.