20th Century Western World: Thought, Aesthetics, and Literature
Historical Periods of the 20th Century
The 20th century Western world underwent profound transformation, marked by two World Wars, the Russian Revolution, and the Cold War.
Panorama of 20th Century Thought
Three major schools of thought emerged: existentialism, psychoanalysis, and Marxism, often appearing intertwined.
Aesthetics in the 20th Century
Aesthetics evolved rapidly in the 20th century, with numerous artistic streams. Three major trends included social, experimental, and existential approaches.
Modernism
Modernism manifested as a rebellious attitude, seeking to renew life and aesthetic fields. This movement related to the world of bohemia, rejecting social and moral norms, displaying a taste for provocation, and contempt for vulgarity and mediocrity.
Modernist literature, particularly in lyrics and poetic prose, showcased new poetic language and intimate themes. Romantic Modernist writers included Machado, Valle-Inclán, and Rubén Darío.
Generation of ’98
The Generation of ’98 was a group of young writers who expressed displeasure at the Restoration Society and proclaimed the need for social regeneration and cultural aesthetics. Reformist thinkers were inspired and focused on reflecting on Spanish society, interested in the historical and literary origins of existential pessimism in Castile. They reflected preferred test subjectivism.
They worried about achieving a personal style far removed from affectation and casticismo. Key figures included Baroja, Azorín, Unamuno, and Maeztu.
Drama of the Early 20th Century
Various types of theater triumphed, including poetic drama, high comedy, and comic theater of manners, all variants of the current commercial theater, far removed from European dramatic trends. Works were written that did not renovate what the public liked. Writers in favor of experimenting with dramatic form included Unamuno, Azorín, and Valle-Inclán.
Pío Baroja
Pío Baroja best embodies the young pessimism of the era. From anarchism, he evolved to sentimental disappointment and skepticism. He wrote numerous novels and essays, along with memories and stories, highlighting portraits, descriptions of environments, and dialogues.
Noucentisme
Noucentisme emerged around 1910, with young intellectuals expressing their rejection of the visceral and subjective tone of their 19th-century elders. The objective was to modernize society through intellectual demands applied to thought and art, led by Ortega y Gasset.
Noucentista Literature
Noucentista literature advocated a refined, intellectual, and dehumanized approach in form and content, using selective and effective modern language while avoiding realism and sentimentalism. Genres included essays and poetry.
The Novel
The novel abandoned the realist style, experiencing new changes such as atavism of the lyrical mood or intellectualism. Gabriel Miró started with decadent tales, evolving into a novel that minimized action and delayed the description of feelings and environments.
Ramón Pérez de Ayala began with an autobiographical novel in the style of the noventayochistas, later tending towards merely token characters and essayistic digressions.
Poetry
Noucentista lyric poetry represents the end of modernism, rejecting the romantic and sentimental, aiming to be the result of intellectual perfection. Language selection and topics culminated in the pure poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez. Other avant-garde poets experienced forms and paved the way for the Generation of ’27.
Features of the Generation of ’27
- Shared poetic concerns and tastes.
- Similar ages, literary culture, intellectual curiosity, and family background.
- Accommodated liberal political attitudes and support for the Republic during the Civil War.
- Befriended each other in the hall of residence (Madrid), a place of friendship and cultural training.
- Participated in cultural events of the tercentenary of Góngora in Seville in 1927.
- Collaborated in magazines.
- Shared a zeal to modernize poetry and recognized Juan Ramón Jiménez and Ortega as teachers.
The Generation of ’27 is characterized by combining tradition and vanguard, with a refreshing taste for the popular and cult interest in Hispanic and European literature.
Trajectory
The trajectory of the Generation of ’27 can be divided into three periods:
- Youth: dehumanized poetry.
- Maturity: humanized lyrical surrealism.
- Post-Civil War: very different in each poet.
Poetic Contributions of the Generation of ’27
All contributed significantly to the poetic landscape.