Noucentisme: A Spanish Intellectual and Aesthetic Movement
Noucentisme: An Overview
Concept and Characteristics
Noucentisme was a Spanish intellectual and aesthetic renewal movement that sought a rational approach to art and culture. The Noucentista authors, mostly born around 1880, were active between the 1910s and 1930s. Key figures include Ortega y Gasset, Eugenio d’Ors, Jacinto Grau, Ramón Pérez de Ayala, and Gabriel Miró. While not a unified generation, they shared common traits:
- Strong intellectual and university education
- Europeanized perspective, seeing Europe as a model for modernizing Spain
- Emphasis on science and education
- Promotion of intelligence and culture
- Identification as a cosmopolitan cultural minority
Key characteristics of Noucentisme include:
- Rejection of excessive sentimentality and emotional pathos
- An aesthetic of intelligence, where art is constructed through intellect, resulting in a serene and balanced style
- Focus on identity, grappling with the effects of Romantic individualism and the dehumanizing aspects of modern life
- A rational re-examination of Spanish history, advocating for a Europeanized Spain integrated into European culture
The Essay in Noucentisme
The importance of intellectualism led to a focus on the essay, characterized by rigorous thought and clear language. Noucentista essays explored a wide range of topics, including the state of Spain and its Europeanization, often from a critical perspective. They also reflected on progress and the aesthetics of the avant-garde.
Key Figures of Noucentisme
José Ortega y Gasset
Ortega y Gasset was a central figure in Noucentisme, influential for his philosophy of ratio-vitalism and his essays. Key works include Invertebrate Spain, which addressed the issue of Spanish disintegration, and The Dehumanization of Art, a seminal work on modern art and the avant-garde. His elegant and rhythmic style often incorporated neologisms, cultisms, and colloquialisms.
Eugenio d’Ors
D’Ors was a prominent cultural figure known for his Glosario, which aimed to elevate short stories to a universal level. His pursuit of a science of culture is evident in essays like Three Hours at the Museo del Prado. His prose is known for its meticulous construction and striking imagery.
Gregorio Marañón
In addition to his medical work, Marañón engaged with various humanistic subjects, including art, culture, literature, and politics.
Manuel Azaña
Azaña, who later became President of the Second Republic, contributed literary criticism, including The Invention of Don Quixote and Evening in Benicarló, a reflection on recent history written during the Spanish Civil War. His Memoirs recount his experiences and reflections on the war.
The Noucentista Novel
The Noucentista novel saw two main trends: traditional storytelling and innovation. Key characteristics include:
- Blending of narrative and essay, linking action to reflection
- Emphasis on internal elements, structure, and language over sentimental plots
- Perspectivism replacing the omniscient narrator
- Originality that sometimes bordered on the absurd
- A style reflecting abstract reasoning, with long sentences and paragraphs
Ortega y Gasset’s concept of the “novel of ideas” influenced this narrative form.
Wenceslao Fernández Flórez
Fernández Flórez represented the comic novel, with The Living Forest, known for its lyrical depiction of the Galician forest, as his most famous work.
Benjamín Jarnés
Jarnés represented the dehumanized novel, characterized by minimal action and intellectual focus, exemplified by Useless Professor.
Ramón Pérez de Ayala
Starting as a modernist poet, Pérez de Ayala became a leading figure in the intellectual novel, expressing ideas through ironic perspectivism. His literary career had three stages:
- Autobiographical novels of childhood and youth, including On the Summits of Darkness
- Poetic novels of Spanish life, incorporating social criticism
- Novels with universal themes, resembling essays, with minimal action and characters embodying opposing attitudes
Gabriel Miró
Miró represented the lyrical novel, known for his refined prose, evocative descriptions, and focus on feelings. Cemetery of Cherries, a story of love and death, is among his notable works. He was also a master of the short story, as seen in The Book of Sigüenza.