The disappointment of naturalism:: Analysis of the evolution of some XIXth-century Spanish novelists

The evolution of the Spanish writers' production during the Restoration exemplifies the constant attempt to assimilate the techniques of naturalism, without necessarily conforming to its ideological premises. Among other aspects, this essay investigates the possibility of exploiting the idea of Romantic hypotext as a productive concept in the history of XIXth century literature so as to open the way to the overcoming of the traditional dualism between realism and naturalism, and draws the attention to the formal, stylistic and linguistic aspects of the text so far subordinated to the concern for content.