Noucentisme, Avant-Garde, and Generation of ’27 in Spanish Literature
Noucentisme and the Avant-Garde in Spain (1910-1936)
Noucentisme
Origins and Development
Between 1910 and 1936, various literary movements coexisted in Spain: Noucentisme, the Avant-Garde, and the Generation of ’27. Noucentisme emerged as a reaction against the perceived emotionalism and subjectivity of 19th-century art and the preceding generation of writers. This group of liberal intellectuals, also known as the Generation of 1914, sought to modernize Spanish society and integrate it with European culture. Key figures include José Ortega y Gasset, Juan Ramón Jiménez, and Eugenio d’Ors.
Key Characteristics of Noucentisme
- Intellectualism: Emphasis on rationality and intellectual rigor.
- Europeanism: Advocated for intellectual modernization and closer ties with European culture.
- Cultural and Political Influence: Held positions of power, enabling them to shape society and promote cultural revitalization among the educated elite.
- Urban Focus: Expressed a preference for urban culture.
- Aestheticism: Championed pure art, free from sentimentality and realism, favoring a serene and luminous style inspired by classical models.
- Formal Precision: Valued intellectual rigor and meticulous craftsmanship in all artistic and intellectual pursuits.
Noucentista Literature
Noucentista literature is characterized by purified form and content, rejecting excessive sentimentality. It emphasizes formal precision, avoiding simplistic language and appealing to a select audience. The most prominent genres are poetry, prose, and essays.
The Essay and Journalism
Noucentista essays often feature reflective statements and an objective tone, covering diverse topics and frequently published in journalistic formats.
José Ortega y Gasset wrote essays on philosophical, aesthetic, and Spanish-focused themes. His critical reflections on Spain, such as The Revolt of the Masses and Invertebrate Spain, examined the country’s perceived isolation. His aesthetic works, including The Dehumanization of Art, analyzed new artistic trends and inadvertently provided a theoretical framework for the Avant-Garde, influencing the Generation of ’27. He also discussed the decline of the realist novel and the rise of a sophisticated readership demanding intellectual and dehumanized narratives.
Eugenio d’Ors was a prominent cultural figure who facilitated the acceptance of new intellectual and artistic currents. His art criticism, notably the Glosas series, showcased his humanistic education and passion for both classical and modern art.
The Novel
Noucentista novelists moved away from realism, exploring new avenues through lyricism, humor, and intellectualism.
Gabriel Miró began with decadent modernist narratives before transitioning to a style that minimized action and focused on detailed descriptions of settings and atmospheres. His notable work includes Our Father San Daniel and The Bishop Leprous.
Ramón Pérez de Ayala started with autobiographical novels and later developed an intellectual narrative style. His key works include Tigre Juan and The Healer of His Honor.
Poetry
Noucentista poetry rejects romanticism and sentimentality, striving for intellectual perfection.
Juan Ramón Jiménez believed that poetic creation allowed him to pursue beauty, eternity, and knowledge. His work, a continuous dialogue with beauty, revolutionized poetic language, establishing him as a mentor for young poets of the 1920s.
Jiménez’s Poetic Evolution
Jiménez’s work is often categorized into three phases:
- Sensitive/Modernist Period: Represented by works like Rimas, Arias Tristes, and Jardines Lejanos, characterized by intimacy, simplicity, musicality, and gentle melancholy.
- Intellectual/Pure Poetry Period: Focused on expressing essential truths through increasing simplicity and purification of style. This period, including works like Diary of a Newlywed Poet and Eternity, is considered intellectually challenging and abstract.
- Sufficient/True Period: Marked by a sense of unity with nature, expressed in a more fluid and colorful style, as seen in Animal de Fondo and other later works.
Alongside his stylistic experiments, Jiménez also composed neo-popularist poetry, particularly ballads with a human and social focus. His prose is equally diverse, ranging from the poetic prose of Platero and I to critical essays in Portraits.
The Avant-Garde
Avant-Garde Movements in Spain
The Avant-Garde quickly gained traction in Spain, spearheaded by Ramón Gómez de la Serna. Two main periods are discernible:
- Birth and Rise of Modernism: Initiated by Gómez de la Serna, this period saw the proliferation of various”isms” manifestos, and short-lived magazines. Ultraism and Creationism were particularly influential.
- Creationism: Promoted by Vicente Huidobro, this movement emphasized the creative power of imagery. Gerardo Diego’s Image is a notable example.
- Ultraism: As outlined in the Ultraist Manifesto, this movement relied heavily on metaphor to capture reality through fragmented and illogical perceptions and images.
- Surrealism and Rehumanization: Surrealism’s focus on emotions, anguish, and rebellion resonated with the era’s anxieties. Its influence is evident in the imaginative freedom and irrational imagery found in later Avant-Garde works.
Ramón Gómez de la Serna
Gómez de la Serna wrote avant-garde stories, novels, and plays, but his most significant contribution is the greguería, a short, witty combination of humor and metaphor. These aphoristic observations transform reality through unexpected and often humorous comparisons. Rooted in the modernist revaluation of metaphor, greguerías influenced the poetic imagery of the Generation of ’27.