Spain’s Generation of ’98: Authors and Literary Impact
The Generation of ’98: Spanish Literary Renewal
Core Members and Context
This generation is formed by a group of writers whose main components include:
- Miguel de Unamuno
- Ramón del Valle-Inclán
- Pío Baroja
- Azorín (José Martínez Ruiz)
- Antonio Machado
All these writers were born around the same time and were profoundly moved by a common event: the Spanish decline and the crisis of 1898. They confronted the same problems, stemming from the unfortunate image of Spain, which had fallen into apathy and disinterest. The common thread among all these writers is their analysis of Spain’s ills and their attempts to propose solutions.
Defining Characteristics
The features that identify the Generation of ’98 are:
- Rebellion and protest against the backwardness of Spain.
- The exaltation of national and patriotic values.
- A sober, simple, and precise language.
- Subjectivism and an introspective vision of reality.
- An idealized landscape, which becomes the symbol of the Spanish soul.
- The presence of philosophical reflections.
Key Authors and Their Contributions
Ramón del Valle-Inclán: Modernism and History
Valle-Inclán’s narrative production begins within modernist aesthetics with works like Las Sonatas. He also has historically themed works such as La Guerra Carlista and Tirano Banderas.
Miguel de Unamuno: Existentialism and the ‘Nivola’
Miguel de Unamuno holds a bleak vision of Spain, and the search for the meaning of life constitutes the two main themes of his work.
Essays and Philosophy
His concern for Spain is evident in essays like En torno al casticismo. He calls for Spain to ‘Europeanize’ itself while retaining its essence. His spiritual journey is highlighted in Del sentimiento trágico de la vida.
Narrative Innovation: The Nivola
He created a new narrative technique, the Nivola, characterized by the abolition of detailed descriptions and situations, giving increased importance to dialogue. This technique is first applied in Niebla and later in La tía Tula. Unamuno’s characters often serve as the author’s alter ego.
Poetic Themes
His poetry covers topics such as spiritual anguish, time, death, and the pain caused by the silence of God. In his metrics, he consistently uses traditional verses, employing rhyme in his later compositions. Notable among his poetry is Cancionero del destierro.
Pío Baroja: Realism and Existential Evolution
Novelistic Approach
According to Pío Baroja, everything fits within the novel: philosophical reflections, political confessions, humor, adventure, etc. Regarding art, he appreciates spontaneity and observation. His novels revolve around the protagonist’s existential evolution.
Style and Major Works
The central narrative structure is simple, featuring frequent dialogues and descriptions. Baroja pours his own philosophical, religious, and political concerns into his characters. His style is short, clear, and precise. Notable works in his narrative include Camino de perfección, La busca, and El árbol de la ciencia.
Azorín (José Martínez Ruiz): Spain and Classicism
Azorín devoted particular attention to the theme of Spain and the reinterpretation of classic literary works.
Essays and Early Work
In his early work, he examines specific aspects of Spanish reality, as seen in El alma castellana. Among his essays are La ruta de Don Quijote and Clásicos y modernos, intended to arouse curiosity and interest in the classics.
Narrative Style and Stages
Regarding narrative, he favored minimal storylines, limiting himself to describing the atmosphere and the impressions of the characters. He also added a taste for detailed description. His novels are divided into four stages:
- Predominance of autobiographical elements and impressions of landscapes (e.g., La voluntad).
- Characters reflecting his concerns (e.g., Don Juan).
- Influence of the avant-garde (e.g., Félix Vargas).
- Return to narrative (e.g., El escritor, La isla sin aurora).
Theatrical Renewal
In theater, Azorín proclaimed the need to break the inertia of the Spanish stage, believing that theater needed renewal in thematic aspects and scenery. The trilogy Lo invisible stands out.
Related Literary Movements
Noucentisme in Spain
The Noucentista novel appears in Spain with features like solid intellectual formation, characterized by rigor and systematization, Europeanization, intellectualism, the defense of ‘pure art’, a preoccupation with form, classicism, and incorporation into official life.
Gabriel Miró: Sensory Prose
Gabriel Miró’s novels are characterized by melancholy, detailed descriptions of sensory perceptions, and a lack of action. There are two stages in his work: a decadent stage with Las cerezas del cementerio and a Noucentista stage with Nuestro Padre San Daniel.
The Avant-Garde and Ramón Gómez de la Serna
Post-war prose leads the attempt to forget the war, and optimism fosters a new understanding of art. These are the avant-garde movements (vanguardias), which rebel against the traditional rules of art. Ramón Gómez de la Serna invented a new literary genre, the greguería: short sentences that seek to define an object or describe a situation distinctively.