Antonio Machado’s Poetic Evolution and the Stages of the Generation of ’98
Antonio Machado: Poetic Stages and Evolution
Antonio Machado conceives poetry as “a serious palpitation of the spirit,” which distances him from formal Modernist excesses. We distinguish three stages in his poetic trajectory:
First Stage: Intimacy and Symbolism (1903–1907)
This stage is modernist but marked by intimate, Bécquerian sentiment and Symbolism. It begins with Soledades (1903), later amplified in Soledades, Galerías y Otros Poemas (1907). Machado defines his poetry as “essential word in time,” meaning the expression of the essential (universal issues of aging, childhood, death, God) within the poet’s vital and historical time. His poetry is an “intimate monologue,” often using “soul galleries” where the soul unfolds its findings and projects experiences onto external symbols. The language is simple, connotative, with chromatic light, lexical resonance, and varied metrics.
Second Stage: Castile and the Generation of ’98 (1912)
This stage is represented by Campos de Castilla (1912). Its second edition (included in the first complete Poesías) was amplified with many poems, including evocations of his late wife Leonor and others featuring the Andalusian landscape. This work reflects his impact and identification with the landscape and people of Soria and Spain, addressing their austerity, social concerns, and even their ‘cainismo’ (fratricidal conflict), aligning him closely with the concerns of the Generation of ’98.
Third Stage: Aphorisms and Later Works (1924)
The third stage, featuring Nuevas Canciones (1924), implies a certain poetic decay. The author uses popular meters and focuses more on aphoristic concerns. In fact, in these later years, aside from the Canciones a Guiomar (late love poems) and his war poems, his main literary output consists of the prose reflections found in Juan de Mairena.
The Generation of ’98: Defining Stages
Youth and Rebellion (Early Stage)
This initial stage was characterized by rebellious youth confronting Spanish society and culture, reflecting the crisis of bourgeois consciousness. Key figures showed radical ideological leanings: Maeztu’s early revolutionary socialism, Unamuno’s initial socialist leanings, Azorín’s anarchist ideology, and Baroja’s pessimistic anarchism. Valle-Inclán’s aesthetic traditionalism was also a form of radicalism. Antonio Machado, however, maintained a focus on personal intimacy.
The Group of Three (1901–1904)
Azorín, Baroja, and Maeztu signed their works together under the pseudonym “The Group of Three.” In 1901, they published a regenerationist and Europeanist manifesto aimed at changing the Spanish situation through “social science” to diagnose Spain’s ills and prescribe appropriate solutions, operating outside official political policy.
Contemplative Idealism (1905–1910)
The activism of the previous stage gave way to disillusionment, leading to a contemplative and skeptical idealism, markedly individualistic. Unamuno argued that the priority was not to change social and economic structures, but rather the mentality of the Spanish people.
Maturity and Dissolution (From 1910 Onwards)
Each author embarked on their own personal journey, both ideologically and aesthetically. While they maintained varying degrees of commitment to their initial concerns, the group dissolved as a cohesive unit, though contingent relationships remained.