Spanish Literary Movements: Novecentismo, Vanguardia & Gen ’27
Spanish Literary Movements: Early 20th Century
Novecentismo and Vanguardia (Avant-Garde) are literary movements that arose in the first half of the 20th century, often seen as a reaction to the perceived exhaustion of Modernism.
Novecentismo
Primarily a Spanish movement, Novecentismo authors focused on intellectualism, formal precision, and aesthetic concerns, striving for a “pure” or “naked” poetry (poesía desnuda).
Key Genres and Figures:
- Essay: José Ortega y Gasset stands out as a major figure, known for works like The Dehumanization of Art.
- Novel: Represented by authors such as Ramón Pérez de Ayala (e.g., Tigre Juan).
- Poetry: Juan Ramón Jiménez is a key poet (e.g., Diary of a Newly Married Poet).
Vanguardia (Avant-Garde)
These experimental movements emerged across Europe, including Spain, aiming to break radically with past traditions. Key movements included Futurism, Cubism, Dadaism, and Surrealism. They sought new forms of expression beyond conventional aesthetics and logic.
Notable Figures:
- Guillaume Apollinaire (France), known for Calligrammes.
- André Breton (France), author of the Surrealist Manifesto.
- Ramón Gómez de la Serna (Spain), creator of the Greguería.
A Greguería is a unique, brief form combining metaphor and humor.
The Generation of ’27
This influential group of Spanish poets skillfully blended avant-garde techniques with elements of traditional Spanish poetry (like folk songs and classical forms).
Characteristics:
- Formal Renewal & Lexicon: They experimented with language, mixing elevated or religious terms with colloquialisms, and incorporating words not typically found in poetry (like pronouns and conjunctions in prominent ways).
- Metric Renewal: Embraced metrical freedom alongside traditional forms.
- White Verse (Verso Blanco): Used regular syllable counts but omitted rhyme.
- Free Verse (Verso Libre): Abandoned regular syllable counts and rhyme. Rhythm was often achieved through repetition, parallel structures, and pauses.
- Despite this freedom, they frequently employed classical forms like the sonnet and the traditional Spanish romance (ballad).
- Themes: Common themes included love, death, destiny, and social concerns.
Stages of the Generation of ’27:
- Initial Avant-Garde Influence: Early works showed strong influence from European avant-garde movements (Breton, Apollinaire), focusing on pure poetry, imagery (imagen), and aesthetic beauty (belleza).
- Rehumanization / Social Commitment: A later shift towards expressing personal feelings, human concerns, and sometimes social issues.
- Post-Civil War Dispersal: The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) tragically fractured the group.
- Poets in Exile: Many members (like Alberti, Salinas, Cernuda, Diego) went into exile, their work often reflecting nostalgia and memories of Spain.
- Poets in Spain: Those who remained sometimes engaged in a form of socially conscious poetry (poesía socialmente compartida), although the most prominent figure, Lorca, was executed early in the war.
Key Authors of the Generation of ’27:
- Pedro Salinas: His poetry often centers on the theme of love. Notable work: La voz a ti debida.
- Gerardo Diego: A master technician, particularly renowned for his sonnets. Notable work: Alondra de verdad.
- Federico García Lorca: Exceptionally gifted at merging cultured and popular traditions, Spanish roots, and universal themes. Famous work: Gypsy Ballads (Romancero Gitano), noted for its dramatic tension, vivid imagery, and metaphors. Masterpiece: Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías. Later work: Poet in New York.
- Rafael Alberti: His work evolved significantly, from the neo-traditionalism of Marinero en tierra to the Surrealism of Sobre los ángeles, and later to politically committed poetry (poesía comprometida).
- Luis Cernuda: Known for his sincere, often melancholic poetry, characterized by its stylistic simplicity. His collected works are titled La realidad y el deseo (Reality and Desire), which includes books like Un río, un amor.
Argumentative Texts
An argumentative text aims to defend a specific viewpoint or thesis by presenting reasons (arguments) designed to convince the reader or listener.
Characteristics:
- Subjectivity: The author clearly expresses their personal opinion or stance.
- Controversial Topics: Argumentation is often employed for debatable subjects such as politics, social issues, ethics, or education.
- Persuasion: The primary goal is to persuade the audience to accept the author’s position.
- Clarity and Order: Arguments must be presented logically and clearly to be effective and easily understood.
Common Structures:
- Deductive Structure: Starts with a general statement or thesis, followed by specific arguments and evidence to support it.
- Inductive Structure: Begins with specific observations, examples, or arguments and builds towards a general conclusion or thesis.
- Framed Structure (Estructura Encuadrada): The main thesis is presented at the beginning and then restated or reinforced at the end, with supporting arguments in between.
- Parallel Structure (Esquema Paralelo): Presents several arguments or ideas in sequence, often without explicitly stating that one is more important than another, potentially leading to an implied conclusion.