Antonio Machado’s Poetic Evolution: From Introspection to Castilian Landscapes
Antonio Machado’s Early Poetic Journey: Solitudes
The first stage of Antonio Machado’s poetic journey, marked by introspection and the triumph of Modernism, is encapsulated in Solitudes (1903) and later expanded in Solitudes, Galleries and Other Poems (1907).
Years later, Machado would speak of Rubén Darío’s influence, yet he had intended to announce a very different path. He added, “I imagined that the poetic element was not the word for its phonetic value, or color, or line, or a complex of sensations, but a deep throb of the spirit which puts the soul, if anything gets, or what it says, if anything it says, with its own voice in response to contact with the world.” Without animated thought, though, he admitted: “I did not book this through systematic purpose.” And later, he would refer to himself talking about that modernist of ‘year three’ (referring to 1903). Indeed, there is much of these Modernist beginnings in Machado.
Modernism and Introspection
Machado’s Modernism reveals an intimate, romantic vein that reminds one of Bécquer. In his words, Machado “writes looking inward
, trying to capture, in an inner monologue
, the universals of meaning
.” These universal feelings include: Time, Death, and God – the fundamental problems of human destiny and the human condition. But there are also nostalgic memories of childhood, evocations of the finest landscapes, and dreams of a lived love. Loneliness, sadness, or anxiety are the results of that deep look into Machado’s soul.
Symbolism in Solitudes
In the vision and art of Solitudes, symbolic values are paramount. Thematic motifs so characteristic of Machado, such as the afternoon, water, the water wheel, and the “galleries,” are symbols of deep realities and intimate obsessions. For example, water is:
- A symbol of life when it springs.
- A symbol of transience when it runs.
- A symbol of death when quiet or when it merges with the sea.
We will have multiple opportunities to check this in our study.
Poetic Style and Voice
From Symbolism and Modernism, Machado also developed a preference for certain types of rhythm. Thus, in his verse, there is a revealing presence of dodecasyllables and Alexandrine verses, along with some examples of metrics based on accentual feet. However, we already see a taste for simpler forms, such as the silva. And nevertheless, Machado had already found the own voice
he had sought. The Solitudes cycle is considered by some critics to be among his deepest poetry, with some even placing it above Campos de Castilla.
Campos de Castilla: Spain’s Soul and Landscape
Campos de Castilla reflects Spain’s problems and issues. Castile is a land where Machado can still search for the soul of Spain. This collection was published in 1912, shortly before the death of his wife, Leonor.
Themes and Landscape
Machado identified a range of themes in his compositions: patriotism, nature, and moments of his life. The enigmas of man and the world continue to inspire intimate poems, in line with his previous poetry. However, what this book truly brings are the vivid pictures of Castilian landscapes and people, and meditations on Spanish reality. The landscape seems to be captured with absolute objectivity
. Thus, in the Campos de Soria series or Banks of the Douro, one can see a clear subjective component: Machado projects his own feelings onto that land, making a deliberate choice to portray it as stark and accentuating themes of loneliness, transience, and death.
Patriotic Concerns and Social Commentary
The patriotic concern
inspires poems about the past, present, and future of Spain. They show a critical attitude that seconded the already discussed Generation of ’98. Only in some cases could points in common with the Regenerationist movement be found. In later poems added to the book, Machado’s criticism already stems from different bases: a purely historical and progressive political version, encouraged by a new faith in another Spain
, implacable and redemptive
, with whom he now feels committed.
The Land of Alvargonzález and Proverbs and Songs
Let us stress, in addition, the long romance The Land of Alvargonzález, in which the poet manages to revitalize the old verse, in an attempt to forge a new expression that was popular and fundamentally human
. This is a thrilling narrative poem, whose grim story revolves around greed, a result of the hardship and misery of those lands.
Moreover, in Campos de Castilla, Machado also began an aspect of his creation: the very short poems comprising the series of Proverbs and Songs. They are lyrical, philosophical flashes. The book concludes with a section titled Praise.