Generation of ’27 and Narrative Techniques
Generation of ’27
Overview
They began publishing their works around 1920. Born between 1892 and 1906, these writers formed close relationships, living together and collaborating in Madrid. Influenced by Juan Ramón Jiménez and the avant-garde, they admired Góngora’s poetry for its pure language and formal perfection. To commemorate the third anniversary of his death in 1927, they organized events and were later included in Gerardo Diego’s 1932 anthology. Key members included Pedro Salinas, Jorge Guillén, Federico García Lorca, and Rafael Alberti.
Trends
Their search for new expression didn’t break entirely with the past. They blended modern avant-garde influences with the Spanish literary tradition, utilizing techniques like free verse, imagery, metaphor, and pure poetry, while exploring modern life’s themes.
Stages
Stage 1: Influence of traditional lyric and pure poetry. Focus on artistic emotion and admiration for classics, especially Góngora’s poetic language.
Stage 2: Rehumanization and neoromanticism.
Federico García Lorca
Born in 1898, Lorca studied Law and Arts in Madrid, where he connected with influential writers.
Themes
Lorca’s poetry presents two contrasting worlds: one cheerful and vital, rooted in Andalusian folklore; the other dramatic and bitter, exploring tragic destiny, frustration, and unfulfilled potential.
Style
His artistic intuition combined with mastery of poetic techniques, including rhythm, music, avant-garde methods, classical verse, and free verse, creating original metaphors.
Works
- Book of Poems: Influenced by Bécquer, Machado, and Juan Ramón Jiménez.
- Songs: Uses folk song forms to explore themes of frustration and tragic fate.
- Poema del Cante Jondo: Andalusian folk song motifs project Lorca’s anxieties.
- Gypsy Ballads: Fusion of popular and artistic traditions.
- Poet in New York: Surrealist exploration inspired by his time in the city.
- Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías: Elegy for the bullfighter and friend.
- Sonnets of Dark Love
Narrative Techniques
What is Narrative?
Narrative is the telling of events in space and time. It can be:
- Literary Narrative: Imaginary with an artistic purpose (e.g., tales, novels, poems).
- Nonfiction Narrative: Relates true facts to inform (e.g., anecdotes, news reports).
Literary Narrative
Its primary purpose is to create aesthetic pleasure. Key elements include:
Narrator
The fictional entity through whom the story is told, with various viewpoints:
- Third-Person Omniscient: All-knowing, interpreting characters’ thoughts and feelings.
- Third-Person Objective: Records events like a camera, without inner access.
- First-Person Protagonist: Narrator as the main character, offering a subjective view.
- First-Person Witness: Narrator as a secondary character observing events.
Story
The action, comprising events, characters, setting, and atmosphere:
- Events: The sequence of happenings.
- Characters: The beings (often people) driving the events.
- Space and Time: The context of the events.
- Atmosphere: The feelings evoked by the story’s circumstances.