nineteenth century, both in the Peninsula and in
America, are the Tyrtaean poet Quintana, the two leading
romanticists Espronceda and Zorrilla and the mystic
Bécquer.

Like most writers in Latin lands, Juan VALERA y Alcalá
Galiano (1824-1905) and Marcelino MENÉNDEZ Y PELAYO
(1856-1912) began their literary career with a volume or
two of lyric verses. Valera's verses have perfect metrical
form and evince high scholarship, but they are too learned
to be popular. The lyrics of Menéndez y Pelayo have also
more merit in form than in inspiration and are lacking in
human interest. Both authors turned soon to more congenial
work: Valera became the most versatile and polished of all
nineteenth century Spanish writers of essays and novels;
and Menéndez y Pelayo became Spain's greatest scholar in
literary history. The popular novelist, Pedro Antonio de
ALARCÓN (1833-1891), wrote lyrics in which there is a
curious blending of humor and skepticism. page xli
The foremost Spanish poet of the closing years of the
nineteenth century was Ramón de CAMPOAMOR y Campoosorio
(1817-1901) who is recognized as the initiator in Spain
of a new type of verse in his _Doloras_ and _Pequeños
poemas_. The _doloras_ are, for the most part, metrical
fables or epigrams, dramatic or anecdotal in form, in
which the author unites lightness of touch with depth
of feeling. The _pequeño poema_ is merely an enlarged
_dolora_. Campoamor disliked Byron and he disliked still
more the sonorous emptiness that is characteristic of too
much Spanish poetry.[4] In philosophy he revered Thomas