Latin American Modernism and the Generation of ’98 in Spain
Latin American Modernism and its Influence on Spain
Latin American Modernism emerged in Latin America and soon spread to Spain. Original writers produced a literature to differentiate it from peninsular Spanish literature. It began in the spring of 1888 with the publication of Azul (Blue) and ended around 1916 with the publication of Diario de un poeta recién casado (Diary of a Newly Married Poet).
Influences
- Parnassianism: A literary movement that seeks beauty through descriptions of the landscape.
- Symbolism: A literary trend that seeks the hidden meaning.
- Amargura vital: A sense of the bitterness of human existence.
Themes
- Flight from industrial, bourgeois civilization and excitement for exotic environments.
- Idealization of medieval mythology.
Style
- Lexicon: Renewal of poetic vocabulary with words related to the exotic.
- Metrics: Search for musicality in verse; Alexandrine verses were often used.
Key Author: Ruben Dario
Spanish Modernism
Spanish Modernism differs from Latin American Modernism in that it features fewer mythological themes and more intimate, descriptive poetry. Spanish literature of this period is full of sadness, melancholy feelings, and remarkable concerns.
Antonio Machado: From Symbolism to Civic Poetry
1st Stage: Symbolist Poetry
- Works: Soledades (Solitude) and Galerías (Galleries).
- Topics: The poet seeks an answer to the riddle of human existence, including subjectivism, death, intimate and existential gloom.
2nd Stage: Civic Engagement Poetry
- Works: Campos de Castilla (Fields of Castile).
- Topics: The poet identifies with the Castilian landscape and reflects on the social and political past. There is optimism.
Machado’s Symbols
A symbol is an object of nature that awakens a feeling or emotion in the viewer. Examples include:
- El Camino (The Road): Symbolizes solitude and later, human existence.
- El Rio (The River): The flow of time.
- El Mar (The Sea): Death.
- Mirrors: Frustrated dreams.
- Gallery: The inside of the poet.
The Generation of ’98
In 1898, Spain was at war with the U.S. and suffered the loss of Cuba and Puerto Rico. This loss was experienced by the press as a dramatic event and revealed to the public the general crisis the country was experiencing. A group of writers committed to Spain, such as Unamuno and Baroja, reflected on the ills of Spain with the purpose of regenerating the country. They thought that the solution to the crisis was to make a Marxist revolution or tried to fix it using an anarchist approach. They also tried science, but ultimately failed. Abandoning social and political concerns and their desire to directly influence the country, they devoted themselves to reflecting on philosophical issues.
Thinking of ’98
A major contribution of these writers was the creation of a modern language in the Spanish novel. Essayists discussed issues such as those explored by Unamuno and Azorín.
Themes of ’98
- Description of the landscape.
- Lyrical evocation of the character of the Spanish literary tradition.
- Existential issues.
Azorín
- Works: La Voluntad (The Will), Castilla (Castile).
- Azorín compiled subjective, impressionistic descriptions containing details, and the author goes back to the past with the feeling that time will not pass.
Baroja
- Works: Zalacaín el aventurero (Zalacain the Adventurer) and El árbol de la ciencia (The Tree of Science).
- Baroja’s novels do not have arguments that end with the technique used in impressionistic style. Dialogue scenes abound, and the end of the novel remains open.
Unamuno
- Works: Niebla (Mist).
- Items: Human freedom, education, the character of the Spanish, the need for God.
- Unamuno expresses his philosophical ideas in novels.