Modernism and Vanguard Movements in Hispanic Literature
Modernism in Hispanic Literature
Modernism: In the late nineteenth century, this movement emerged from a general crisis since people lost confidence in progress, and it was reflected in artistic and cultural development within the field known as modernismo in the Hispanic world.
Modernism: ‘I represent a vital attitude of artists who reacted against bourgeois utilitarianism.’ Born in Hispanic America, this rejection also joined a rejection of imperialism.
Features
- Two streams:
- Parnassianism: seeking beauty and formal perfection.
- Symbolism: intended to suggest, by means of symbols, the reality behind things.
- Modernists vindicated beauty in all its forms.
- They defended the vulgar against the aristocracy.
- They evaded the present and sought the past and distant, exotic lands.
- Pursuit of renewed beauty of language:
- They incorporated sonorities, cultisms and words charged with feeling.
- They used musical and rhythmic resources.
- They recovered classical stanzas.
- The central topics were the creation of beautiful objects and places and the presentation of sensations and emotions.
Rubén Darío
He is considered the initiator of the modernist movement that spread through European and Spanish-American literature. Thanks to Darío’s formal innovations, his production reflects Parnassian and Symbolist influences.
Major works
- Azul (Blue), 1888: The first book that reflects the themes and novelties of modernism. This published work combines prose and includes verse, short stories and poems in which he recreates a world of fairies, princesses, mythological creatures, etc. All this is presented with striking images.
- Prosas profanas (Profane Prose), 1896: Noted for its verbal innovations. Metrics and social issues appear, but the predominant theme is exoticism.
- Cantos de vida y esperanza (Songs of Life and Hope), 1905: This work marked a change in the approach to the Hispanic world whose culture is reaffirmed in Darío’s work. In Cantos de vida y esperanza new themes and more personal, intimate tones appear.
Features of Darío’s later work: Philosophical concerns on issues such as the passage of time and the loss of youth; reaffirmation of the Hispanic world and its culture.
Noucentisme and the Avant-Garde
After the First World War in Spain, the desire for modernization and revolt led to Noucentisme and the vanguards.
Noucentisme gathered a group of authors with solid intellectual formation. They saw European models as examples to imitate. In Spain, ideas from José Ortega y Gasset published in newspaper articles were important; the poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez was also a leading example.
The avant-garde combined a set of artistic movements characterized by their eagerness to break with tradition and to create refreshing, creative principles.
Movements
- Futurism: Marinetti inspired this movement, advocating anti-romanticism and extolling technique.
- Cubism: Addressing mechanical civilization, it emerged in painting and proposed the decomposition of reality into geometric shapes; Apollinaire inspired calligrams.
- Surrealism: Born in France with André Breton, it sought to discover a truer reality through dreams and automatic writing, incorporating images that suggest emotions and do not respond to logic.
- Creacionismo and Ultraism: Initiated by Vicente Huidobro, Creacionismo sought to create its own reality through fresh images. Ultraism, which emerged in Spain, proposed the breakdown of logical discourse and typographical innovations.