Literary Features and Spanish Literary Movements
Literary Features
Poetic Function
The poetic function of language focuses on the message itself, emphasizing its aesthetic qualities rather than conveying information. The writer, as an artistic innovator, continually explores the expressive possibilities of language.
Realism and Reinterpretation
While a literary work may draw inspiration from reality, it doesn’t mirror it exactly. Instead, it decomposes and rebuilds reality in its own way, offering a unique perspective.
Connotation and Plurisignification
Terms in literature often transcend objective reality, becoming carriers of affective and volitional elements. Plurisignification refers to the acquisition of new meanings within a given context.
Recurrent Structure
Literary works are often organized around recurring structures, with elements repeated periodically and related to different themes.
Spanish Literary Figures and Movements
Bécquer
Considered a pioneer of modern Spanish literature, Bécquer was born in Seville. He initially pursued painting but later moved to Madrid, where he worked as a journalist and censor. His poetry, collected in Rimas, comprises 80 short compositions exploring themes of love, disillusionment, anguish, and death. Bécquer’s style is characterized by its simplicity and emotional depth, departing from the rhetorical excesses of earlier Romanticism.
Modernism
Modernism, a Hispanic literary movement originating in the late 19th century, was significantly influenced by French Parnassianism and Symbolism. It emphasized aesthetic beauty, exoticism, and the exploration of subjective meanings. Key figures in Spanish Modernism include:
- Salvador Rueda (promoter of the movement)
- Antonio Machado (Solitudes, Galleries and Other Poems)
- Juan Ramón Jiménez (Arias Tristes, Distant Garden, La Soledad Sonora)
- Manuel Machado
- Eduardo Marquina
Modernism also influenced prose and drama, as seen in Valle-Inclán’s Sonatas and Eduardo Marquina’s political theater, such as The Daughters of the Cid.