Modernist Literature in Latin America and Spain

Posted on Sep 22, 2024 in Latin

Origins and Stages

Modernism, a literary movement born in Latin America around 1875, was spearheaded by Cuban writers like José Martí and Julián del Casal, alongside Mexican Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera and Colombian José Asunción Silva. However, the pivotal figure of the movement was Rubén Darío, followed by poets such as Amado Nervo, Guillermo Valencia, Leopoldo Lugones, and José Santos Chocano.

According to literary critic Ricardo Gullón, Hispanic Modernism can be divided into two stages:

  1. The first stage (until 1896): Marked by Darío’s Profane Prose, this period emphasized formal preciousness and the cult of sensual beauty.
  2. The second stage: Characterized by a shift towards intimate poetry with social and existential themes, including a focus on American subjects, as seen in Darío’s Songs of Life and Hope. Spanish writers primarily belonged to this second stage.

Characteristics of Modernism

Modernism was essentially a movement of formal renewal. As Juan Ramón Jiménez asserted, it represented a rediscovery of beauty. The movement’s new aesthetic was influenced by two streams of French poetry:

  1. Parnassianism: Founded by Théophile Gautier and embraced by poets like Leconte de Lisle and Charles Baudelaire, this movement championed “art for art’s sake,” emphasizing formal perfection, chromaticism, and exoticism.
  2. Symbolism: This movement favored musicality, the use of symbols, and various forms of synesthesia, blending sensory imagery.

Furthermore, the influence of the intimate and symbolist style of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer was evident in the works of many Modernist poets.

Key Features of the Movement:

  • The Modernist Artist: Often disillusioned with society, the Modernist artist tended towards solitude, introspection, and a detachment from everyday reality. Themes of boredom, sadness, melancholy, and existential angst were prevalent.
  • Romantic and Anti-bourgeois Sentiments: Modernist writers displayed an anti-bourgeois, anti-vulgar, and anti-realist stance, striving for an aristocratic, elegant, cosmopolitan, and exotic art form. Like the Romantics, they sought escape from their world, favoring settings like classical antiquity, the medieval world, and the exotic Orient.

Themes and Attitudes:

  • Themes: Ranging from classical to modern, and medieval to romantic.
  • Attitudes: A strong emphasis on the Symbolist vision and interpretation of reality. Poetic trends focused on colors, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile impressions through extreme stylization and idealization.

For instance, Rubén Darío highlighted external sensuality alongside serious contemplation, Antonio Machado delved into the personal while incorporating the chromaticism of landscapes, and Juan Ramón Jiménez alternated between both tendencies.

Language and Style

Modernist language was characterized by its use of rhetorical devices borrowed from the Baroque period and contemporary trends. The swan served as the quintessential Modernist symbol, representing beauty, purity, elegance, aspiration, aristocracy (white), and decline (black). The lexicon was enriched with exotic words, mythological references, archaic terms, and neologisms.

Metrics and Rhyme:

Rhythm was a fundamental element, continuing the metrical innovations initiated by Rosalía de Castro. Modernists sought a correspondence between feeling and musicality. Favored verses included the Alexandrine (12 syllables), the 9-syllable line, and the traditional 11-syllable and 8-syllable lines. Internal rhyme and assonance disrupted the conventional verse structure. Series of unrhymed 11-syllable lines were also common. The sonnet remained a popular stanza, though variations in rhyme scheme and verse length were employed.

Key Figures of Hispanic Modernism

Rubén Darío (1867-1916):

Nicaraguan poet Félix Rubén García Sarmiento, known by his pen name Rubén Darío, was the driving force behind Hispanic Modernist poetry. In Paris, he encountered Symbolist and Parnassian writers. His notable works include:

  • Azul (1888): A collection of poems and stories showcasing the Modernist aesthetic with its accumulation of sensual motifs (swans, princesses, nymphs) and exotic themes.
  • Profane Prose (1896): Marked the triumph of the Modernist aesthetic.
  • Songs of Life and Hope (1905): Revealed his social, political, and existential concerns.

Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881-1958):

Born in Huelva, Spain, Juan Ramón Jiménez was a key figure and a significant innovator of contemporary Spanish poetry. His work can be divided into three phases:

  1. Sensory Phase (1900-1915): This early period, influenced by Bécquer, exhibited neo-romantic tendencies. Themes of loneliness and melancholy were often depicted through symbolist landscapes with subdued colors. Works from this phase include Water Lilies (1900), Violet Souls (1900), and Gardens Far Away (1904).
  2. Intellectual Stage (1916-1936): Marked by a shift towards Modernism, this phase saw a departure from anecdotal narratives and traditional characteristics. Key works include Diary of a Newlywed Poet (1916), Eternals (1917), Stone and Sky (1918), and Poetry (1923).
  3. True Reality Stage (36-58): In this final phase, Jiménez sought the transcendent and identified with God. His works from this period are collected in two books: On the Other Side (1936-1942) and God Desired and Desiring (1948-1949). The latter reveals his evolving spiritual perspective, expressed in a language reminiscent of the mystical poets of the Spanish Golden Age.

Antonio Machado (1875-1947):

A prominent representative of Spanish Modernism, Machado blended Modernist themes with Andalusian tones and religious or existential undertones in his poetry. Notable works include Soul and The Bad Poem.

In conclusion, Modernism left a lasting impact on Spanish and Latin American literature, revolutionizing poetic language, themes, and aesthetics. Its influence continues to resonate in contemporary literary works.