Modernism: Origins, Characteristics, and Key Authors
Modernism: Origins and Development
In the late 19th century, a general artistic and cultural crisis led to the emergence of modernism. This movement developed in the Hispanic world at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Modernism represented a reaction by artists against bourgeois utilitarianism. It also took root in Latin America, where it joined the anti-imperialist sentiment of many countries struggling for independence from Spain, influenced by the United States.
Characteristics of Modernist Literature
Modernist writers were influenced by various movements:
- Parnassianism: Focused on beauty and formal perfection.
- Symbolism: Aimed to suggest the true reality behind symbols.
Modernists sought beauty in all its forms, including the recreation of beautiful places and objects, and the presentation of intense sensations and emotions. They rejected vulgarity and defended the aristocratic, often symbolized by the figure of the swan. This rejection of reality led to an escape in space and time, towards the past (classical and medieval myths) and distant, exotic lands. The search for beauty led to a renewed literary language:
- Incorporation of cultisms and words chosen for their sound and ability to suggest sensations (tactile, olfactory, auditory, etc.).
- Search for musicality through rhythmic resources like anaphora, parallelism, and alliteration.
- Modification and recovery of classical verse types, including free verse.
The favorite meters were the hendecasyllable, dodecasyllable, and Alexandrine.
Rubén Darío: Pioneer of Literary Modernism
Rubén Darío is considered the pioneer of literary modernism. He pursued novelty through a formal break with previous aesthetic approaches. His work reflects Nicaraguan, Symbolist, and Parnassian influences, as well as his belief in the superiority of poets.
Key Works:
- Azul… (Blue) and Profane Prose: His first published book, Azul (1888), combines verse and prose, including short stories and poems with vivid adjectives and imagery. Profane Prose (1896) highlights his innovations in metric and verbal evasion, featuring exotic and aristocratic themes, social issues, and eroticism.
- Cantos de Vida y Esperanza (Songs of Life and Hope) (1905): This work marks a shift in Darío’s literary approach, becoming more personal, intimate, and reflective. He attenuates external beauty and explores philosophical preoccupations such as the passage of time, loss of youth, and the meaning of existence. He also reaffirms Hispanic culture and suggests the union of the American people against American imperialism.
Writers at the End of the Century
The influence of modernism, especially Rubén Darío, extended to Spanish writers at the end of the 19th century. These writers, while initially influenced by Darío, developed more personal styles focused on existential issues and the state of Spain. Key figures include Antonio Machado, Miguel de Unamuno, Pío Baroja, José Martínez Ruiz (Azorín), and Valle-Inclán.
Literary Topics at the End of the Century
The Question of Spain:
In the last decades of the 19th century, Spain experienced a deep social and political crisis. Writers reflected on Spanish landscapes, history, and artistic works, both idealizing and criticizing them.
Existential Themes:
Characters pondered man’s destiny, the meaning of life and death, religiosity, and the pain of living. Authors sought simplicity and rigor in their expression, contributing to the renewal of literary language.
Antonio Machado: A Modernist Poet
Antonio Machado, while also writing didactic prose and plays, was primarily a great poet. He began publishing modernist poetry, but his work became more subjective and intimate than Darío’s. His most representative work of this period is Solitudes, Galleries, and Other Poems, which explores existential angst. In Solitudes, Machado describes decadent landscapes, gardens, and fountains, often using them to reflect a state of anguish. This is reflected in the use of symbols:
- Afternoon, treadmill, and roads: Represent the passage of time.
- Sea: Symbolizes death.
- Hives and galleries of the heart: Represent creative poetry.
- Dreams: Symbolize true knowledge.
Due to his ideological evolution, in Fields of Castile, Machado addressed social and political issues, as well as the Castilian landscape, its inhabitants, and its history. The book also includes poems lamenting the death of his wife, Leonor, and brief philosophical reflections.