Catalan Modernism and Victor Catala’s Solitude
Catalan Modernism: A Cultural Movement
Loneliness is a core concept within Modernism, a cultural movement in Catalonia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It coincided with other European Modernist movements, sharing contradictory and complex aspects. Modernism aimed to transform society through art, breaking from the past and striving to create a self-sufficient, modern, European national culture. It was not merely an artistic trend but sought a global cultural renovation.
Key Changes and Influences
- Industrialization and the consolidation of a new middle-class society.
- Significant political changes, including “Food Toad” and regenerationism.
- New social demands, such as the labor movement, unemployment, and anarchism.
- Growing cities.
- A union between intellectuals and the bourgeois movement for consolidation.
Stages of Catalan Modernism
1890-1900: Formation and Initial Struggles
- Dissemination through magazines like Avenç.
- Aesthetic naturalism and organization of progressive Catalan parties.
- Rusiñol’s Cau Ferrat in Sitges.
- Systematization and modernization of spelling.
1900-1911: Consolidation
- Less revolutionary.
- Reduction of essays; focus on novels, poetry, and theater.
- Promotion of novelists like V. Català through the magazine Joventut.
- Diverse tendencies within magazines.
- Naturalistic themes.
- The death of Joan Maragall and Isidre Nonell, and the emergence of Noucentisme.
Coexisting Trends
Regenerationism: Focused on societal change through literary initiatives and committed essays. Involved different political persuasions.
Aestheticism: Aimed to contribute to Catalan culture with European elements. Art was seen as a tool for changing reality. Importance was placed on feelings and sadness.
Art Nouveau: Introduced to modernize classical European culture. Attacked norms that hindered creativity. Defended national identity to discover Catalan identity. Used suggestive, symbolic language and a spontaneous style. Promoted grammatical reform, a synthetic and cultured style.
Rural Drama
Modernism manifested in narrative through an abundance and diversity of themes, styles, and techniques. New novels appeared that reacted against the idyllic ruralism of the Renaissance.
Key figures: Raimon Casellas, V. Català.
Themes:
- Focus on the country and realism, with negative aspects.
- Subhuman conditions and fatalism.
- Conflicts between restless individuals and the overwhelming social nature and character of the mountain.
- Autonomous expression of personality.
- Suggestive, symbolic language with onomatopoeia and repetition.
- “Male language”: original and honest.
V. Català’s *Solitude*: A Rural Narrative
V. Català’s narrative is not idyllic, but rather raw and pessimistic, eliminating unnecessary elements and focusing on the characters. The language is drawn from life and is expressive, even with orthographic inaccuracies. The work centers on rural life.
*Solitude*: The Rural Drama
The rural drama attempts to deeply analyze characters, incorporating modern elements. Fatality weighs on humans. It presents a cosmic struggle between the hero and society. The work has been translated into different languages.
Genesis: Published as a supplement in Joventut magazine in 1904-1905. It is a cumulative work, with some chapters based on a real event in the chapel of St. Caterina, but extended into drama and landscape.
Structure of *Solitude*
The story begins with a prologue by the author, where labor shortages appear. It consists of 18 chapters, forming autonomous fragmentary units. The work is cumulative and structured as a short narrative. It has a closed, traditional structure:
- Chapters 1-6: Introduction
- Chapters 7-14: Core
- Chapter 18: Outcome
There are three dark perceptions and two clear perceptions of the same space at different times of day: the festival of roses, relics (8), revelry (9), party preparation (10), cleaning (4), and Cimalt (13). The cross represents the high point. Ascension (14) marks the beginning and end of the work.
Central Theme
The core conflict is between the individual and the environment, exploring individualism. The protagonist, Mila, experiences subjectivism, gaining knowledge and awareness of herself and the shepherd.
Protagonist’s Perspectives
- External: The cycle of time and space (“mountain knowledge”).
- Domestic: Personal self-knowledge.
The narrative time is slow and calm in the spring and summer, and fast-paced in the autumn.