The Golden Age of Spanish Literature: From Modernism to Noucentisme

Posted on Sep 18, 2024 in Latin

Poetry: Juan Ramón Jiménez

Among the poetry of Modernism, the Generation of ’98, and the Generation of ’27, several figures stand out, though perhaps not as prominently. These include José Moreno Villa and, notably, León Felipe, with his colloquial and emotionally charged poetry.

However, the poetic landscape of these years is dominated by the work of Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881-1958), winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1956. While it’s challenging to categorize him within a specific movement, from 1915 onward, he transcended the influence of Modernism, embracing the concept of “intellectual art” characteristic of Noucentisme.

Defining distinct stages in Jiménez’s poetry is a complex task. He was a prolific writer who frequently revised and reorganized his work. Nonetheless, critics often identify three major periods:

1st Period: Sensory Poetry (Modernist) – Until approximately 1915

This period can be further divided into three stages:

  1. Juvenile Poetry: Heavily influenced by the prevailing Modernism, exhibiting its typical traits (sensory language, abundant adjectives, long lines, etc.). Jiménez later disavowed books from this period, such as Souls of Violet and Nymphs (both 1900), considering them subpar.
  2. Simple, Restrained Poetry: Characterized by moderate Modernism, with a predominance of intimate themes and a melancholic tone. This phase, spanning from 1903 to 1907, includes books like Arias Tristes and Jardines Lejanos. It features sober language, frequent use of octosyllabic verse, and a focus on assonance and rhyme.
  3. Return to Modernist Techniques: Jiménez returns to elements like color, sound, adjectives, metaphors, and Alexandrine verses, but with a more personal touch. His poetry retains its intimate tone, centered on nostalgic contemplation of nature and sentimental confessions. This stage, from 1908 to 1915, produced works like Elejías, The Audio Sonnets, and Spiritual Loneliness. Platero and I (1914), a book of poetic prose for children, also belongs to this period.

2nd Period: Intellectual Poetry (Naked Poetry) – Until 1936, when he left Spain

In 1916, with Diary of a Newlywed Poet (later retitled Journal of a Poet and the Sea), written during his honeymoon in New York, Jiménez distanced himself from Modernism. This book marked the disappearance of ornate modernist language, vivid adjectives, and rhythmic effects. Instead, we find short, bare verses, devoid of rhyme, where the abstract and essential clearly prevail over the anecdotal and descriptive.

Other works from this period include Eternidades (1918), Stone and Sky (1919), and Total Station (1936). As the titles suggest, Jiménez’s poetry aimed to penetrate the deeper reality of things, beyond their sensory appearance, and to attain eternity by transcending temporality.

3rd Period: Final Period (Real Poetry) – Corresponds to his exile in America until his death in 1958

Jiménez’s production during this time is compiled in the posthumously published Lyric Atlantis. It features two key works:

  • On the Other Side (1936-1942): Notable for the long, complex prose poem Space, constructed through free association and a stream of memories, impressions, and reflections.
  • God Desired and Desiring (1948-1952): A collection of mystical poems where the vision of God deviates from traditional Christian conceptions, instead identifying with Nature, Beauty, and even the poet’s own creative consciousness.

Noucentisme

General Features

By 1914, shifts were apparent in Spanish cultural life. Criticism and essays flourished, with figures like José Ortega y Gasset and Eugenio D’Ors playing significant roles. The novel also saw exciting developments, with authors like Gabriel Miró and Ramón Pérez de Ayala. New trends emerged in poetry, significantly influenced by the evolving style of Juan Ramón Jiménez.

While not a unified literary group, these writers were part of a new intellectual milieu known as Noucentisme (or the Generation of ’14). Its main characteristics include:

  • The Emergence of a New Intellectual: In contrast to the bohemian and self-taught nature of Modernists and the Generation of ’98, the Noucentista possessed a solid intellectual foundation, often honed in foreign universities. They sought a calm and objective analysis of problems, replacing the irrationalism and angst of their predecessors with clarity and rationality.
  • Reaction Against 19th-Century Values: They saw Modernism and the Generation of ’98 as extensions of the previous century. Anti-romantic sentiments and admiration for classical ideals were prevalent.
  • European Outlook: Noucentists were concerned with universal values and rejected narrow nationalism. They questioned certain traditional values and were more drawn to the city than the countryside.
  • The”Problem of Spai”: While still present in their work, the issue of Spain was approached with greater rigor and less personal bias than in the Generation of ’98. They sought practical solutions and emphasized the need for change driven by a prepared elite capable of leading society.

The Essay

The essay held significant importance. Authors who excelled in this genre included Eugenio D’Ors, Gregorio Marañón, Manuel Azaña, and Américo Castro. However, the most influential figure was undoubtedly José Ortega y Gasset.

Ortega was a prolific philosopher, journalist, and editor of newspapers and magazines. He was also politically active, going into exile at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War but returning in 1945.

Ortega’s essays, collected in works like The Spectator, Man and People, and The Revolt of the Masses, explored a wide range of topics. Two works, in particular, influenced the art and literature of his time: Meditations on the Novel and, most notably, The Dehumanization of Art. In the latter, he analyzes contemporary art, highlighting the following characteristics:

  1. Art should be judged not for its human content but for its formal qualities.
  2. Dehumanization: Art distances itself from reality, suppressing human emotions.
  3. Intellectual Art: It is based on intellect, not sentiment. Aesthetic pleasure is an intellectual pleasure. Consequently, it is challenging, elitist, and unpopular, dividing the public into those who understand and those who don’t.
  4. Anti-Romantic Poetry: The poet is not a spiritual guide but simply a”verbal operator” Ortega defines contemporary poetry as the”higher algebra of metaphors”
  5. Art as Play: Art becomes a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It is characterized by irony and triviality.