20th Century Spanish Literature: Movements and Key Authors

Posted on Sep 27, 2024 in Latin

20th Century Spanish Literature

European and Spanish Historical Context

European Framework (1914-1989)

• World War I (1914-1918): A major global conflict that significantly impacted Europe.
• Russian Revolution (1917): The overthrow of the Tsarist autocracy and the establishment of a socialist state.
• Rise of Fascism (1920s-1930s): The emergence of authoritarian nationalist regimes in Italy and Germany.
• World War II (1939-1945): A global war that devastated Europe and led to the Cold War.
• Cold War (1947-1991): A period of geopolitical tension between the Western Bloc (led by the US) and the Eastern Bloc (led by the Soviet Union).
• NATO Creation (1949): The establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance of North American and European countries.
• Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989): A pivotal event that marked the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany.

Current Philosophical and Social Thought

• Existentialism (Martin Heidegger): Emphasizes individual existence, freedom, and responsibility. Heidegger’s concept of “being-towards-death” highlights the finitude of human existence.
• Psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud): Focuses on the unconscious mind and the influence of past experiences on human behavior.
• Marxism (Karl Marx): A socio-economic theory that analyzes class struggle and advocates for a revolution to overthrow capitalism and establish a communist society.

Spanish Framework (Late 19th and 20th Centuries)

• Disaster of ’98: Spain’s loss of its remaining colonies (Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines) in the Spanish-American War.
• Regenerationist Movement: A movement that sought to regenerate Spain after the Disaster of ’98 through political and social reforms.
• Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera (1923-1930): A period of authoritarian rule in Spain.
• Second Republic (1931-1939): A period of democratic reforms followed by political instability and the Spanish Civil War.
• Francoist Spain (1939-1975): A period of dictatorship under Francisco Franco, marked by repression, economic hardship, and gradual modernization.
• Transition to Democracy (1975-1982): Following Franco’s death, Spain transitioned to a democratic constitutional monarchy.

Literary Movements and Key Authors

Spanish Literature in the 20th Century

Early 20th Century (1940s-1970s)

• 1940s: Poetry rooted in traditional metrics and intimate themes.
• 1950s: Rise of social awareness in literature; writers use their work to denounce and protest social issues.
• 1960s: Focus on intimacy, childhood, and adolescent issues; exploration of themes of paradise lost.
• 1970s: Emergence of Novísimos: Rejection of traditional poetic forms, experimentation with language, and influence of foreign literature.
• Post-Novísimos: Return to classic and traditional trends in poetry.

Modernism

Nouveau in Latin America

• A literary movement characterized by the pursuit of absolute beauty and formal perfection.
• Rejection of reality through the creation of imaginary worlds (external modernism) or introspection (intimate modernism).
• Features: Disenchantment with life (inherited from Romanticism), art for art’s sake, emphasis on musicality and sensory effects, use of symbolism, and visual imagery.
• Use of traditional and innovative metrical forms (e.g., Alexandrine and dodecasyllabic verse).

Modernism in Spain

• Salvador Rueda: Precursor of Modernism known for his colorful imagery and metrical innovations.
• Manuel Machado: Combined Andalusian themes with a cosmopolitan vision.
• Antonio Machado: A prominent Modernist poet known for his introspective and philosophical poetry.
• Juan Ramón Jiménez: A key figure in the transition from Modernism to the Generation of ’27. His poetry evolved through three stages: sensitive (influenced by Symbolism and Modernism), intellectual (spiritual development), and true (written in exile, focused on beauty and perfection).

Vanguard Movements

• Futurism: Rejected sentimentality and embraced technological advancements.
• Cubism: Emphasized visual aspects in poetry, leading to the creation of calligrams (poems that visually resemble their subject).
• Dadaism: An anti-art movement that challenged traditional artistic conventions.
• Creationism: Advocated for the creation of a separate reality through art.
• Surrealism: Explored the world of dreams and the unconscious.

Rubén Darío

• A leading figure of Modernism in Latin America.
• His work revolves around aristocratic evasion of reality, social concerns, and personal anxieties.

Antonio Machado

• His work is characterized by loneliness and introspection.
• Campos de Castilla: Reflects his experiences in Soria, a region that evoked profound emotions in him.
• Proverbs and Songs: Philosophical meditations on life, humanity, and the world.
• Elogies: Poems dedicated to individuals he admired.

Generation of ’27

• A group of Spanish poets who sought to bridge the gap between tradition and the avant-garde.
• The name “Generation of ’27” comes from the year they gathered to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the death of Baroque poet Luis de Góngora.
• Stages:
  • 1922-1928: Pure poetry, characterized by the suppression of sentimentality and a focus on aesthetics.
  • 1928-1936: Diversification and experimentation; some poets explored new forms of expression, including Surrealism.

Pure Poetry

• Pedro Salinas:
  • Initially influenced by Juan Ramón Jiménez’s pure poetry, focusing on purification and perfection.
  • Later developed a trilogy of love poems during his exile.
  • His poetry often engages in a dialogue with the sea.

Vanguard and the Generation of ’27

• Vicente Aleixandre:
  • His work explores the nature of knowledge, drawing on both pure poetry and Surrealism.
  • Characterized by lexical and stylistic purification, the use of assonance, and the presence of nature as a poetic framework.
  • In his Surrealist phase, he embraced the freedom of expression offered by this movement.
  • His later work focuses on anthropocentric themes, with man as the center of the poetic universe.
  • Dialogues of Knowledge: Reflections on human knowledge and understanding.

Tradition and the Generation of ’27

• Rafael Alberti:
  • His poetry can be divided into five periods:
    • Neopopularist Poetry: Drew inspiration from Spanish folk poetry.
    • Neo-Gongorism: Influenced by the Baroque poet Luis de Góngora, particularly his classicism, elaborate style, and emphasis on beauty.
    • Surrealist Poetry: Turned to Surrealism during a personal crisis, exploring themes of paradise lost and the search for meaning.
    • Political Poetry: Engaged with the political situation in Spain, expressing his commitment and dissent.
    • Nostalgic Poetry: Written during his exile, reflecting on the past, childhood, and lost homeland.
• Miguel Hernández:
  • His work is divided into four periods:
    • Pure Poetry: Blended elements of cultured and popular poetry, exploring themes of death and love.
    • Love Poetry: Conceived love as a source of both pain and joy.
    • War Poetry: Used poetry to maintain the morale of soldiers and promote the Republican cause during the Spanish Civil War.
    • Poetry of Introspection: Written during his imprisonment, reflecting on themes of freedom, family, and loss.
• Luis Cernuda:
  • His poetry is collected in a volume titled Reality and Desire, which encapsulates his feelings and thoughts, including his homosexuality.
  • His work explores themes of loneliness, love, pleasure, pain, and the conflict between reality and desire.
  • His poetry can be divided into four stages:
    • Apprenticeship: Early poems dealing with loneliness and nature.
    • Youth: Explored themes of rebellion, freedom, and homosexuality in Forbidden Pleasures.
    • Maturity: Addressed themes of human destiny and historical events during his exile.
    • Fulfillment: Remembered loved ones and paid tribute to influential writers.