Avant-Garde Literature: A Reaction and Revolution
Avant-Garde Literature
Definition
The Avant-Garde and Novecento movements share similarities. Both emerged between the World Wars as artistic reactions against earlier literature. However, the Avant-Garde’s reaction was more radical and violent.
The term “Avant-Garde” originated during World War I (1914-1919) to describe the artistic interests of the outpost of European culture. This period fostered unity among European artists. It wasn’t a single movement but a collection of diverse movements with unique quirks and intentions. They shared a common goal: to create a radically different art form, breaking with and ultimately ending realism.
Stages
- 1908-1918: Early Manifestations (Ramón Gómez de la Serna)
- 1918-1925: Ultraism and Creationism: Literature as a game. Dehumanization.
- 1925-1930: Surrealism. Rehumanization.
- 1930-1936: Vanguard Politics. Humanization.
General Characteristics
- Internationalism: Avant-garde artists considered themselves global citizens, concerned with universal issues.
- Anti-traditionalism: They rejected the legacy of earlier movements, both thematically and expressively.
- Depreciation of Intellectual Emotions in Art
- Minority Art
- Spontaneity and Thoroughness over Previous Work
- Emphasis on Contradiction
- Complete Freedom of the Artist
- Use of humor to demystify and metaphors to create connections between unrelated terms.
Avant-Garde Movements
A. Futurism: Originating in Italy and inspired by Marinetti, Futurism rejected romanticism and celebrated mechanical and technical civilization.
B. Cubism: Emerging in painting, Cubism proposed the decomposition of reality into geometric shapes. Its main inspiration was the French poet Apollinaire, who applied this theory to his calligrams.
C. Dadaism: This movement aimed to establish an original expression beyond logic and absurdity.
D. Surrealism: Born in France from Dadaism, led by poet André Breton, Surrealism sought to discover true reality through automatic writing and dream analysis, incorporating evocative imagery and emotions beyond logic.
E. Ultraism: Emerging in Spain, Ultraism encompassed all avant-garde principles by breaking logical discourse and introducing typographical innovations.
Characteristics of Ultraism
- Integration of avant-garde art
- Replacement of punctuation with mathematical symbols
- Exaltation of the modern world and machines
- Breaking traditional typography
- Renewal of metaphor, with poems becoming successions of metaphors
- Elimination of sentimentality and personal expression
- Juxtaposition of unrelated elements of reality
F. Creationism: Championed by Chilean Vicente Huidobro, Creationism sought to create its own reality within the poem through novel imagery. It’s characterized by the breakdown of visible reality to create a new, self-contained reality.
Antonio Machado
Machado was a poet who sought to define poetry and art. For him, poetry was the “essential word in time,” a “dialogue with his time.” He aimed for formal simplicity in his poetry. His focus on the “word in time” affirmed the creator’s commitment to their era and reality. He wasn’t an escapist poet but one engaged with the surrounding reality and its problems: existence, religion, love, and family.
The concept of “dialogue” in Machado’s work represents an exchange between different perspectives: the author, Castile and its people, Leonor (his memory), and Guiomar.
Characteristics of Machado’s Early Work (1903-1919)
- Setting and lexical ornamentation
- Long lines and metric experimentation
- Abundant phonic resources
- Numerous sensory elements and adjectives
Themes: Death, non-historical time, imaginary landscapes, and the self.
Characteristics of Machado’s Campos de Castilla
- Sparse decoration
- Simple metrics
- Use of “us” instead of “I”
- Lexical clarity and simplicity
Themes: War, death and violence, Castile’s landscapes, Leonor’s death, tributes to deceased friends, and human existence.
Writers at the End of the Century
Themes:
The Issue of Spain: Spain faced a deep social crisis culminating in the Disaster of 1898, losing its last colonial territories. Writers reflected on the causes of this decline and later idealized Castile’s landscapes, history, and artistic works.
Existence: Writers expressed reflections on human destiny, the meaning of life, death, time, religiosity, and the pain of living.
Key Poets: Antonio Machado, Miguel de Unamuno, Pío Baroja, and Ramón del Valle-Inclán.