Chronicle of Spanish Masterpieces Quiz

The concept of a unified Spain did not emerge until the late 15th century, following the marriage of the Catholic Monarchs and the fall of Granada in 1492. During the Middle Ages (c. 5th-15th centuries), the Iberian Peninsula was divided into Christian kingdoms in the north, such as Castile, León, Aragon and Navarre, and the Muslim ruled area of Al-Andalus in the south, following the Umayyad invasion of 711 which ended Visigothic rule. Literature emerged from the oral epics of juglares (minstrels) who recounted heroic deeds, feudal bonds and faith, and thus helped to shape the emerging Castilian identity.

The "Cantar de Mio Cid" arose from this tradition. The only surviving manuscript of this epic dates from 1207 and contains 3,735 verses recounting the story of the mercenary Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, the Cid. After being exiled by Alfonso VI of Castile, the Cid defeats the Muslim taifa rulers, amasses wealth through conquests such as Valencia and vindicates his daughters against scheming noblemen. The poem was probably written by an educated juglar or cleric who adapted oral sources, and it is considered to be one of Castile's earliest significant literary works in vernacular Spanish.

During the Renaissance, the Iberian Peninsula was unified as a Christian kingdom following the marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469. Granada fell in 1492, bringing an end to Muslim rule in Spain, while Columbus's voyages that same year opened up the New World. Spain grew rich and powerful, but also expelled the Jews in 1492 and the Muslims in 1502, setting up the Inquisition in 1478 to enforce the Catholic faith. Meanwhile, Renaissance ideas from Italy arrived, blending classical learning with religion during a period of great art and literature.

"La Celestina" by Fernando de Rojas exemplifies this shift from medieval to Renaissance style. This tragicomedy follows nobleman Calisto's pursuit of Melibea, facilitated by the go-between Celestina, and involves her accomplices Sempronio and Pármeno. The plot culminates in Celestina's murder, Calisto's accidental death and Melibea's suicide. Fernando de Rojas, a lawyer from La Puebla de Montalbán who was descended from converted Jews, probably expanded an existing shorter text. First published in 1499, the work is an early example of Spanish Renaissance prose.

Spain reached the peak of its power during the Spanish Golden Age ("Siglo de Oro") under the Habsburg kings Philip II (r. 1556-1598) and Philip III (r. 1598-1621). Silver and gold flowed in from the American colonies. The court moved to Madrid in 1601. However, continuous wars against England, the Dutch and the Ottomans put a strain on finances due to inflation and debt. Counter-Reformation censorship controlled print culture, while Lope de Vega's comedia nueva dominated theatre. Prose fiction evolved from chivalric romances and picaresque tales towards more complex narrative forms.

This literary change gave rise to "Don Quixote de la Mancha" (1605, Part I) by Miguel de Cervantes. The novel's 52 chapters follow Alonso Quijano, who becomes Don Quixote after becoming obsessed with reading chivalric romances, and his squire Sancho Panza. Key episodes include battling windmills mistaken for giants and inns for castles. Cervantes (1547-1616), wounded at Lepanto (1571), captive in Algiers (1575-1580), and imprisoned for tax issues, published Part II in 1615 in response to an unauthorised sequel.

During the Enlightenment (late 18th and early 19th centuries) Spain faced political instability after losing its last American colonies by 1825, following the Napoleonic invasion (1808) and the subsequent War of Independence (1808-1814). The Bourbon monarchy under Charles III (1759-1788) and Charles IV (1788-1808) promoted economic reforms and expelled the Jesuits (1767), while Enlightenment ideas from France and Britain arrived through academies and salons. Liberal constitutions (such as the 1812 Cádiz Constitution) clashed with absolutist restorations. Neoclassical literature favoured reason, moral instruction and satire of social customs over Baroque excess.

"El sí de las niñas" (1806) by Leandro Fernández de Moratín reflects this neoclassical turn towards rational social critique. This five-act comedy centres on 16-year-old Calista, pressured by her mother Doña Irene into marrying the elderly bachelor Don Diego over her love for 19-year-old Leander. Through deception and revelations, the play critiques arranged marriages and parental overreach. Moratín (1760-1828), son of playwright Nicolás Fernández, wrote under Charles IV's patronage but faced exile after Ferdinand VII's restoration (1814).

Romanticism (early 19th century): Spain went through tough times after Napoleon's 1808 invasion and the War of Independence (1808-1814). By 1825, most American colonies were lost. King Ferdinand VII (1814-1833) cancelled the liberal 1812 Cádiz Constitution, which led to revolts. Romanticism came late from France and England, focusing on feelings, freedom and old Spanish tales rather than strict neoclassical rules. Poets wrote about medieval legends, the Moors, and rebels against the king.

"El estudiante de Salamanca" (1840) by José de Espronceda shows this new emotional style. The poem tells the story of Félix de Montemar, a student who seduces his cousin Elvira. She dies of a broken heart, then returns as a ghost on All Souls' Night with Death to punish him. Espronceda (1808-1842) was a liberal rebel who was exiled abroad. He created one of Spain's most successful Romantic poems.

During the Realist era of the late 19th century, Spain struggled in the aftermath of losing its remaining colonies, Cuba and the Philippines. The Bourbon Restoration (1874-1923) under Alfonso XII established a system of alternating liberal and conservative governments, which brought stability to the country. However, social tensions grew between industrial cities and rural poverty. While factories boomed in Catalonia and the Basque Country, peasants faced land shortages. In literature, the Realist movement reacted against the excesses of Romanticism by focusing on everyday life, class conflict and social problems through detailed observation and psychological depth.

"Fortunata y Jacinta" (1887) by Benito Pérez Galdós portrays Madrid's middle-class society. The five-volume novel centres on two women: Fortunata, a working-class mother obsessed with the unfaithful Juanito Santa Cruz, and his bourgeois wife Jacinta. Through adultery, madness and family feuds, it explores love, class divides, and morality. Galdós (1843-1920) is widely regarded as Spain's greatest 19th-century novelist and published over 30 novels critiquing Spanish society.

The Generation of '98 was a group of Spanish writers who reacted to a national crisis following the loss of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines in the Spanish-American War of 1898, which became known as the 'Disaster'. During King Alfonso XIII's turbulent reign (1886-1931), there were labour strikes, anarchist bombings and military failures in Morocco (the Rif War, 1909-1927). In response, intellectuals began to question Spain's identity, rejecting romantic nationalism in favour of critical essays and European modernism.

Miguel de Unamuno's 1914 novel "Niebla" illustrates this introspective turn. The protagonist, Augusto Pérez, writes to the author, Unamuno, demanding control over his fate. After committing suicide, he reappears in the afterlife as a dog. Unamuno (1864-1936), a Basque philosopher and Salamanca University rector, wrote this unusual novel about life, death and reality.

The Generation of '27 was a group of Spanish poets and playwrights who were honoured at the tercentenary celebrations of Luis de Góngora in 1927. Spain experienced Primo de Rivera's dictatorship from 1923 to 1930, after which the Second Republic was established in 1931. Political tensions grew between the left and right. The writers of this generation combined traditional forms with modern styles, such as surrealism, and incorporated symbols from Spanish folklore into their work.

"Bodas de sangre" (1933) by Federico García Lorca is a three-act tragedy. It follows the bride's forbidden passion for her ex-lover Leonardo on her wedding day to another man, which culminates in a bloody confrontation between the two men resulting in their deaths. Rooted in a real crime that occurred in 1928, Lorca uses symbols such as water, a knife and a horse alongside stark rural dialogue. García Lorca, assassinated early in the Spanish Civil War, created one of Spain's most frequently performed modern plays.

Following his victory in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), General Francisco Franco ruled the country as a dictator from 1939 until his death in 1975. The 1950s were marked by economic hardship, rationing, and isolation from post-WWII Europe, with the black market becoming widespread. U.S. aid arrived in 1953, sparking limited industrialisation and growth in tourism. Due to strict censorship laws banning political criticism, writers used indirect methods such as social realism to depict daily struggles. Literature focused on urban poverty, conformity and quiet resistance.

La colmena (1951) by Camilo José Cela portrays 1930s Madrid through the intersecting lives of 160 characters. Consisting of short scenes, the novel depicts hunger, failed romances, prostitution, and petty crime in boarding houses and on the streets. Published in Buenos Aires due to censorship, it was not legally published in Spain until 1956, when it won the Critics' Prize. Cela (1916-2002) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1989.

The post-Franco era began with the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. Spain then transitioned to democracy under King Juan Carlos I, adopting a new constitution in 1978. The 1980s and 1990s were marked by EU membership in 1986, economic modernisation, and cultural liberalisation. During this period, women's roles expanded and regional identities strengthened, while the historical memory of the Civil War also emerged. Literature from this period explored personal memory, gender dynamics, and Spain's democratic transition.

"Nubosidad variable" (1992) by Carmen Martín Gaite centres on a chance meeting between two women in contemporary Madrid. Childhood friends Pilar and Elena spend hours reminiscing about lost loves and life's changes. Through dialogue and flashbacks, the novel reflects on ageing, friendship and Spain's transformation. Martín Gaite (1925-1998), a leading post-Franco novelist and essayist, examines the female experience and collective memory in Spain's democratic era.