Spanish Literary Movements: Realism, Modernism, and the Generation of ’98

Spanish literary realism, a literary and ideological movement, marked a break with Romanticism. It is based on the use of detailed and thorough descriptions, with lists and concrete nouns, the use of long paragraphs and complex subordination, providing an almost magnetic playback of popular speech without idealizing it, and the use of a style characterized by “invisible” language to express characters, events, and situations objectively without calling attention to the writer. The writers focused on themselves and put their stake in society, objectively observing and describing social problems, taking advantage of the novel. As for the term, they preferred a simpler, more sober, and precise style, in which the reproduction of colloquial speech became important, especially in dialogue. Namely, adopting language levels appropriate to the characters, representing all social strata.

The bottom line is the concern for form; it is about finding ways to represent beauty. It creates new words, stanzas. The authors have a great culture and describe paintings, sculptures, and palaces where characters live in marble, silks, and velvets. They describe swans… The writer is unhappy with the world, so he invents another and travels to exotic and distant places. Elusive in character, the language is luxurious, with synesthesia and words indicating smell, taste, and color. Modernism is an art that evolves. In the first place, it is only an attempt at the renovation of poetic forms. The poet expresses his feelings and concerns. Some poets even participate in the political life of the country, while others commit themselves to the world in which they live. The representatives of modernism are Rubén Darío (foreign) and Manuel Machado (Spanish). With the prose works of Rubén Darío, the introduction of this type of literary world begins. The theme is the struggle and dreams of the writer against an uncaring world (society). It begins with decadent modernism and evolves into a poetry of social concern.

Antonio Machado’s poetry revolves around three main themes: the intimacy of the poet, the landscape or the outside world, and his love for Leonor, who died shortly after their marriage. His inner world is made up of memories, longings, dreams (imaginary worlds created by desire and loneliness), and the feeling of the passage of time. The landscapes of Castilla and Andalusia, because he lived in both places, are the Castilian people, their past, and present life. It is also the national situation with a critical view. The love of his wife brings him out for some time from solitude and introspection, but he returns to them when Leonor dies. Among his works in verse, he wrote the modernist features *Solitudes*, *Solitudes, Galleries, and Other Poems*. With a strong influence from the Generation of ’98, he developed *Fields of Castilla*. He also wrote plays: *Lola is Going to the Ports*, and prose: *Juan de Mairena*, *Abel Martín*.

Valle-Inclán cultivated all genres but excelled in the novel and theater. He demonstrated that he possessed a magnificent command of the expressive resources of language. His style is marked by two distinct stages. The works of the first are written in a refined and exquisite prose, full of musicality and sensations of color. The second is characterized by a pessimistic view of reality, expressed through language and humor that deforms. He created the *esperpento*: works that systematically distort reality through the creation of grotesque characters that move in strange and surprising environments.

After losing the American colonies in 1898, the members of what was called this generation reacted similarly:

• They rebelled and protested against the backwardness of our country. This led them to propose solutions for the reconstruction of agriculture, education, culture, and the economy. They also proposed the integration of Spain into Europe.
• They exalted our national and patriotic values as they gained a greater understanding and appreciation of Spain.
• Their reformist desire led them to adopt a certain literary style to express their ideas:
  • Simple and expressive language that breaks with the charged rhetoric of the time.
  • Appropriate vocabulary to reflect as fairly as possible what is meant. Thus, learned words, foreign words, and popular prayers abound.
  • Prevalence of simple, concise, and brief sentences, avoiding long paragraphs and subordination.