Generation of ’98 and the Spanish Literary Landscape
Pío Baroja (1872-1956)
Trilogies
Some works are grouped into trilogies. Some of them are:
- Basque Lands Trilogy: Centered on personal and environmental issues, formed by The Basque Customs House, The Adventurer, and Aitzgorri. Zalacaín the Adventurer follows the adventures of a typical man who performs his deeds in the context of the last Carlist War.
- The Fight for Life Trilogy: Known for its bleak and unforgiving realism, reflecting marginal environments of lower-class life in Madrid.
- The Race Trilogy: Includes The Tree of Science. Through dialogue between the protagonist and his uncle, Baroja’s ideas and thoughts are explored.
- Fantastic Life Trilogy: Novels with a fantastic atmosphere, maintaining a relationship with the world. Features paradoxical, ironic, sympathetic, and anarchic figures outside the conventional.
Style
Baroja’s style embodies a feature of the Generation of ’98. In his own words, he didn’t adorn his style. He was a master of impressionistic description.
José Martínez Ruiz “Azorín” (1873-1937)
Initially professed anarchist-inspired revolutionary ideas but later shifted to conservative and moderate politics.
Two constant themes in Azorín’s work are his youth and the evocation of landscapes and great writers and works (Jorge Manrique, Fray Luis de León, La Celestina, Lazarillo, Don Quixote).
His works prioritize the weariness of the hero, the vital sensation of time, and the fleeting nature of life. He wrote critical essays on Spanish literary topics. His novels often had autobiographical elements, notably The Will and Antonio Azorín, from which he took his pseudonym.
Characteristics
- Clarity, precision, simplicity, and conciseness
- Short paragraphs, simple and coordinated sentences
- Thoroughness and detailed descriptions
- Rich and varied vocabulary, including archaic words
- Frequent poetic descriptions
- Use of enumerations and triadic/bimembral structures
Ramón María del Valle-Inclán (1866-1936)
Born in Galicia, he abandoned law studies to immigrate to Mexico. Back in Madrid, he became known among bohemian writers and young artists for his extravagant attire and radical modernist attitude. His early works show sympathy for Carlist and rural society. After experiencing war, he moved towards revolutionary leftism.
Aesthetic Evolution
His aesthetic evolution parallels his ideology, ranging from decadent modernism to the grotesque. The ironic distance increases with respect to the world reflected in his works.
First Period
Representative works include Sonatas. The hero, the Marquis, embodies the refined Don Juan in these modernist novels. The four sonatas of a cynical adventurer set out the four stages of life and are set in different locations: Mexico, Rome, and Galicia.
Esperpentic Stage
Two trilogies, plays, and novels reflect the Carlist Wars. The first trilogy portrays primitive rural areas, typical of modernism, yet not idealized. It offers a grotesque vision of an archaic, primitive world dominated by unrestrained passions and instincts.
The esperpentic style is a new literary technique. Its features include:
- Mixture of comical and serious
- Educated style with literary allusions, creation of new words, and deforming metaphors
- Systematic distortion and caricature of characters and environment
- Characters treated like puppets or animals
Key Works
- Bohemian Lights: Depicts the last night of the blind poet Max Estrella, symbolizing a pessimistic vision of Spain and Spanish culture.
- The Iberian Arena Trilogy: Novels set at the end of the Elizabethan reign.
- Tyrant: A peculiar work for its grotesque technique and subject matter, focusing on the fall of a dictator in Latin America.
Noucentisme (1914 Onwards)
By 1914, the modernist sensibility felt outdated. The new generation of writers abandoned decadent modernism and promoted intellectual and scientific training. Key figures include José Ortega y Gasset and Ramón Gómez de la Serna.
Key Features
- Emphasis on mental clarity and intelligence, reflected in art and style
- Europeanist perspective on Spain’s problems, rejecting pessimism and embracing European solutions
Noucentista Authors
- José Ortega y Gasset: Philosopher and essayist known for works like Meditations on Quixote and The Dehumanization of Art, which influenced young writers.
- Ramón Gómez de la Serna: Pioneered the avant-garde in Spain. Known for his humor, metaphors, and witticisms.
- Gabriel Miró: Known for his polished prose and sensory descriptions.
- Ramón Pérez de Ayala: Creator of the intellectual novel.
European Avant-Garde and Pure Poetry
Avant-Garde Movements
These movements rejected previous art and embraced novelty and experimentation. Key movements in Spain include:
- Futurism
- Dadaism
- Cubism
- Ultraism
- Creationism
- Surrealism
Pure Poetry
An attempt to purify and perfect poetry by removing mundane elements and distilling its lyrical essence. This led to intellectual and hermetic poems.
The Generation of ’27
A group of poets and intellectuals united by friendship and shared literary ideas. The name comes from their homage to Góngora on the centenary of his death (1927).
Key Features
- Similar educational backgrounds, many with university degrees in literature
- Appreciation for both learned and popular poetry
- Balance between romanticism and classicism, intuition and rigor
- Use of free verse, traditional forms, and strophic forms based on repetition
Stages
- Youth: Influenced by Bécquer and Juan Ramón Jiménez, as well as some avant-garde movements and Ortega y Gasset.
- 1930s: Rehumanization of poetry through Surrealism, adding human content.
- Post-Civil War: Those who remained in Spain developed a new humanism, while exiles explored themes of uprooting.
Key poets include Pedro Salinas, Vicente Aleixandre, Federico García Lorca, and Juan Larrea.