Early 20th Century Spanish Novel: Realism Rupture and Avant-Garde
Early 20th Century Novel: Rupture of Realism
The rupture of realism occurs in two aspects:
The Emergence of Subjectivism
The emergence of subjectivism: Interest is displaced from external reality to internal reality, to the knowledge of the author’s circumstances. The bankruptcy of rationalism, the sense of absurdity, and vital distrust to know reality, do not pay attention to details, but to the author’s internal perspective. The approach is the exponent of this uncertainty, which is seen in the prevalence of character-driven novels. Characters are ambiguous and inconsistent, with internal conflicts.
Artistic Concern
The artistic concern: It faces the narrative as art to renovate not only the style but also the narrative technique. The unimportant argument is interrupted by reflections. The linear structure is abandoned; time is longer or shorter. The narrator makes judgments and comments as a character in the story. Symbolic space. Simple sentences. Narrative technique to reflect the elusive inner reality. More space for dialogue and ideological contrast.
The Early-Century Novel
The narrative style is a tool to pull off the regeneration of the country. Focused on the issue of Spain from a subjective and individualistic viewpoint, anonymous stories of men or intrahistory, and landscape reflecting the soul of the people. A tool to reflect their existential and philosophical ideas. Azorín blurs the boundaries between essay and novel. The argument is an excuse to give us paintings of the environment, or suffering, or failing sensitive characters. La Voluntad (1902), The Confessions of a Small Philosopher (1904). Importance of impressionistic descriptions. Valle-Inclán is as it was in the theater. Sonatas (1902-05), War Carlista (1908-09) (trans scarecrow), Tirano Banderas (1928) (Esperpento). Verbal experimentation, merciless criticism, and little narrative action in the Iberian ring.
The Novel in the Novecento
They incorporate elements of avant-garde poetry; the language is loaded with metaphors, little plot, and empowerment of the imaginative and intellectual, structure and style. Human emotions ignore previous narrative modes (Concha Espina) and restoration narrative (Miró, Pérez de Ayala, and Jarnés).
Gabriel Miró
Plastic richness and lyricism in his novels that surpasses narrative description. Dialogue and action are scarce; time stops. Nuestro Padre San Daniel (1921), Bishop Leproso (1925).
R. Pérez de Ayala
Intellectual novel criticizes the brutality, ignorance, poor education, and lack of Spanish life aspirations. Universal issues like love or sex education (Honeymoon, gall moon), the philandering and conjugal love. Relations between language, thought, and action (Belarmino and Apolonio).
Benjamín Jarnés
Avant-garde novel. Action is reduced to the maximum; there were the reflections of the protagonist, intellectual and lyrical line. Madness and Death of Nadie (1929).
Narrative After 1927
Ramón J. Sender, Max Aub (The Magic Labyrinth), Francisco Ayala, or Rosa Chacel. Go to narrative experimentation, a novel set in the service of social and political struggle. In 1930, José Díaz published an essay, The New Romanticism, in which he condemns aestheticism and states that the writer cannot stand apart from social and individual conflicts. Themes of social and labor struggles, corruption of the ruling classes, and police repression.