Spanish Literary Movements: 19th and 20th Centuries
Noucentisme and Avant-Garde
In Spain, the group of Modernist writers is called Noucentisme or the Generation of ’98. Its components are characterized by their European orientation and by their conception of art as an activity separate from the social and political. During the early decades of the 20th century, various artistic movements emerged in Europe, called Avant-Garde, breaking radically with the themes and expressive techniques of Romanticism and Realism. The Noucentistes connected easily with the Avant-Garde as a result of a playful act, a free test of intellectual ability and expressive artistry. The rich literary landscape before the Civil War is completed and reaches its peak with the Generation of ’27. This group of young poets, coexisting with Modernists, Noucentistes, and the Generation of ’98, culminates in the restoration work initiated by those who recognized José Ortega y Gasset and Juan Ramón Jiménez as their masters. In the late 19th century, a renewal occurred in art and thought in Europe and America. The opposition to the Realist aesthetic and the performance of political or religious institutions that did not meet the needs of people caused a return to some Romantic features, such as the cult of imagination and the expression of feelings of rebellion and melancholy. Artists did not intend to reflect reality but to create another, more attractive one, or to expose their own intimacy. This recovery of the subjective, coupled with the desire to attain perfection in formal artistic work, is the foundation of Modernism. The Noucentistes‘ topics are current Spanish issues, and they have a more sober style.
Romanticism
Romanticism is a social and artistic movement that covers the first half of the 19th century and whose principal objective is the exercise of freedom, both in the individual and collective fields. In Spain, the development of Romanticism was later than in the rest of Europe because the political situation during the reign of Ferdinand VII did not allow the expression of its ideology. However, after his death, this movement continued until the second half of the century. It substituted passion for reason, and the work became very subjective.
Realism and Naturalism
Realism, also known as Naturalism, is an artistic movement that dominated the second half of the 19th century. The main feature of Realism is its opposition to the subjective and fantastic themes of Romanticism. The arguments of its literary works are constructed on the details of everyday life.
Postwar Literary Panorama
The postwar literary panorama extends from the Civil War to the present and is usually split into decades to facilitate the understanding of its complexity:
- 1940s: Death and exile impoverished the literary scene.
- 1950s: Authors gradually began to reflect the world around them.
- 1960s: Mass emigration to Europe, emerging tourism, and better media transformed society and allowed the emergence of new literary trends that moved away from Realism.
- 1970s: The democratic political regime was established in Spain, revitalizing all areas of culture.
- 1980s: Postwar authors were already considered classics.