Romanticism in Spanish literature
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Romanticism is a revolutionary movement affecting all aspects in life, which in the arts breaks from the traditions of Neoclassicism, favouring ideas of fantasy, imagination and the spirit's irrational power. Neoclassicism is the style still adopted by some Spanish authors today, but many who started as what could be defined as neoclassical writers converted to romanticism, such as the Duke of Rivas or José de Espronceda. Others have been romantics since starting writing.
The origin of the term "romanticism" is far from clear, and furthermore, the evolution of the movement was different in each country. In the 17th century the term was used in England to refer to the "unreal". Samuel Pepys (1633–1703) employed it in the sense of "emotional" and "amorous". James Boswell (1740–1795) used it to describe the appearance of Corsica. Romantic appears as a generic adjective referring to "passionate" and "emotional". In Germany, however, it was used by Johann Gottfried Herder as a synonym for "medieval". The tern romanhaft ("fantastical") was replaced by romantisch, which had more emotional and passionate connotations. In France, Jean-Jacques Rousseau used it in a description of Lake Geneva. In 1798, the Dictionary of the Royal Academy listed the common and literary senses of romantique. Spain had to wait until 1805 for the word romancista to appear. The years 1814 to 1818, saw, through successive controversies, the tentative use of the terms romanesco, romancesco, románico, and romántico.
The forerunners of Romanticism, which was to spread throughout Europe and the Americas, were Rousseau (1712–1778), the French philosopher, and the German playwright Goethe (1749–1832). Under the influence of these two figures, the Romantics set out to create works that were less perfect and regular, but more profound and intimate. They looked into mystery and insisted on the rights of sentiment. Their motto was liberty in all aspects of life.
