Una sátira deudora del poder: Las letrillas políticas de Manuel Bretón de los Herreros en la prensa liberal moderada

Abstract

Although Manuel Breton de los Herreros is one of the most important dramatists in Spain for the first half of the nineteenth century, his poetry has received marginal attention from scholars. This essay aims to analyze the connections between literary and political discourses in the poems of Breton de los Herreros. The main object of study will be a corpus of satirical letrillas written and regularly published by the author in newspapers in Madrid between 1834 and 1836. Through this series of poems, Breton took part in the intense social and political debate that confronted the terms of legality and legitimacy during the early years of the definitive establishment of liberalism in Spain. Contrary to the well-known contribution of intellectuals like Mariano Jose de Larra, whose political articles are often perceived as subversive or even revolutionary, Breton de los Herreros’ poems were structured around a strong defense of the ideas fostered by conservative governments. Therefore, these satirical and law-abiding letrillas are of relevance for understanding the implications of politics in the production of literary discourses and in the shaping of public opinion in Spain at that time.