Spanish Narrative: Generation of ’98 and Noucentisme
The Generation of ’98 and Noucentisme in Spanish Narrative
The Generation of ’98
The narrative of the Generation of ’98 emerged during an era dominated by a sense of crisis and cultural decadence. There was a rejection of positivist realism and rationalism. In 1902, four significant works were published in Spain:
- The Will by Azorín
- Love and Pedagogy by Unamuno
- Way of Perfection by Baroja
- Autumn Sonata by Valle-Inclán
These works initiated an innovative path in the novel, culminating in the following years and decades. This group is characterized by:
- Criticism of Spain.
- Pessimism about the historical situation.
- Influence of philosophy.
- Subjectivism.
- Aesthetic renewal.
Two essential notes in this new orientation of the novel are:
A) Subjectivism or anti-realism: It pursues the expression of inner reality.
B) Totalizing design: The novel is a multiform genre, which also includes philosophical reflection, essays, and lyricism.
Representative authors of the Generation of ’98 are:
- Unamuno: He covers topics such as tradition, intra-history, the concept of Spain, the tragic awareness of existence, and the thirst for eternity. These themes are reflected in his “Nivola.” Among his outstanding works are Love and Pedagogy, Fog, Aunt Tula, San Manuel Bueno, Martyr, and the essay How to Make a Novel.
- Valle-Inclán: Known for the grotesque, a dramatic subgenre based on apparent mockery. Valle-Inclán’s novelistic trajectory begins with an initial modernist stage (Sonatas), continues with an intermediate stage (second Carlist War: The Crusaders of the Cause, The Glow of the Bonfire), and finally, the stage of the “esperpento” with the cycle of novels generically titled “The Iberian Circle”: Tirano Banderas, The Court of Miracles, Baza de Espadas.
- Pío Baroja: His narrative is a mixture of pessimism and vitalism. Baroja conceives the novel as “a bag where everything fits.” His ambition is “to write with simplicity.” His extensive production can be divided into trilogies: The Struggle for Life, Basque Land, and Race.
- José Martínez Ruiz ‘Azorín’: He has an impressionistic narrative style, with heavy doses of lyricism. His novels show a fragmented structure with a predominance of description, abundant use of dialogue, and minimal details. Works: The Will, The Confessions of a Small Philosopher, Doña Inés.
The Narrative of Noucentisme
Noucentisme is characterized by anti-realism, anti-romanticism, and anti-Generation of ’98 sentiments. The writers are cosmopolitan and European. They defend the formal and stylistic purity of their works, pursuing a dehumanized novel, away from sentiment.
The major novelists were Ramón Pérez de Ayala and Gabriel Miró. Ramón Gómez de la Serna also had great influence, but more in the realm of poetry.
- Gabriel Miró: His notable works include Our Father San Daniel (1921) and The Leper Bishop (1926). Cherries of the Cemetery (1910) and The Grandfather of the King (1915) are other important works.
- Ramón Pérez de Ayala: He began writing in a Generation of ’98 aesthetic, then moved on to the “intellectual” novel. Works include: Darkness at the Summits (1907), A.M.D.G.-The Fox’s Paw (1912), Troteras y Danzaderas (1913), and Belarmino and Apolonio (1921). Pérez de Ayala aims to “reflect the crisis of Hispanic conscience since the beginning of this century.”
- Ramón Gómez de la Serna: The basis of his literary output is the “greguería”: Humor + Metaphor = Greguería. As a novelist, Ramón breaks the mold of the genre. The most famous is The Bullfighter Caracho (1927). We cannot forget The Novelist (1924), the story of an author in search of reasons for his novels and imagination. The Implausible Doctor (1921) tells the story of a doctor who heals through strange methods.
The Novel Around 1927
In the same years in which the Generation of ’27 reached its peak in poetry, separate lines of novelists emerged, including those who suffered exile: Juan Chabás, Rosa Chacel, Juan José Domenchina, Esteban Salazar Chapela, Max Aub, and Francisco Ayala.