ABSTRACT
A great war and mighty revolution passed over the country, and when the air cleared again Spain found herself dragged from the middle age in which she had lingered into the full blaze of nineteenth century life. The renewed national life bore fruit in fresh activity in every direction, and in literature, as well as in politics, Spain began slowly but surely to win back her position among the nations. The revival that took place after the War of Independence has produced good results, and Spain in spite of her comparatively small reading public can challenge comparison in one or two departments of literature with other European nations. The novel in Spain, as elsewhere, is the most vigorous of modern literary growths. The influence of the French Revolution was everywhere felt, and it combined with selfishness to drown the voice of patriotism among the upper classes in Spain.
