Valle-Inclán and Machado: Spanish Literature in the 20th Century
Valle-Inclán: A Revolutionary Playwright
Ramón María del Valle-Inclán (Pontevedra, 1866 – La Coruña, 1936) was not only a pivotal playwright of the Generation of ’98 but also one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Spanish literature. His work was not fully understood during his lifetime, and most of his plays were not performed until after his death. In contrast, Jacinto Benavente, a contemporary playwright, achieved great success and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1922.
Early Works: Modernist Narratives
Valle-Inclán’s early works, such as The Sonatas, are examples of modernist narrative. The Sonatas are staged by the Marqués de Bradomín, whom Valle-Inclán defined as “an ugly, Catholic, and sentimental Don Juan.” Bradomín represents the young, decadent, and aristocratic aspects of the era. Modernism is a recurring theme in Valle-Inclán’s early works.
1920s: The Grotesque Period
In the 1920s, Valle-Inclán’s dramatic work culminated in the creation of a new genre called “esperpento” or grotesque. This style ridicules both Spanish society and human nature itself. The technique involves distorting reality to the point of absurdity, transforming characters into puppets that embody human vices and weaknesses.
Notable examples of his grotesque plays include La hija del capitán, Don Friolera, and Luces de Bohemia, the latter being considered one of his most important works.
Similarly, his novel Tirano Banderas, which portrays a South American dictator, is regarded as one of the most significant novels of the 20th century.
Machado: A Poet of Intimacy and Landscape
Antonio Machado (Seville, 1875 – France, 1939) had two distinct stages in his poetry:
Early Modernism
Machado’s first book, Soledades, was published within the modernist aesthetic. A few years later, he expanded and republished it as Soledades, Galerías y otros poemas. Machado’s modernism, influenced by Rubén Darío, is more intimate and less grandiose than that of other poets of this movement.
Campos de Castilla and Later Works
In 1907, Machado moved east from Madrid to Soria, where he wrote Campos de Castilla. This work marked a departure from modernism and a continuation of the Generation of ’98’s style. In it, he writes about the beauty and depth of the Castilian landscape and its people, using a simple, at times almost colloquial, yet highly poetic style.
After the death of his wife, Leonor, Machado left Soria and wrote prose works. He created an apocryphal character, Juan de Mairena, an imaginary teacher who explains his skeptical and ironic philosophy to his students, always emphasizing moral rectitude and social commitment. Machado died in France at the end of the Spanish Civil War. His remains are still there, and he became a symbol of the Spanish intellectuals who died in exile.
Compound Sentences: Structure and Types
A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses, each with its own subject and predicate. These clauses are usually joined by conjunctions or conjunctive phrases.
Types of Compound Sentences
- Coordinated Sentences: These sentences are syntactically independent of each other. They are related through conjunctions or conjunctive phrases. Types include:
- Copulative (and, also)
- Adversative (but, however, except)
- Disjunctive (or)
- Distributive (some… others, this one… that one)
- Explanatory (i.e., that is)
- Subordinate Sentences: These sentences depend on another sentence, the main clause, and perform specific syntactic functions within it. They are not syntactically independent. Types include:
- Substantive: They perform the same functions as a noun.
- Adjective: They perform the same functions as an adjective.
- Adverbial: They express the circumstances in which the action of the main verb takes place.
- Juxtaposed Sentences: These sentences form a compound sentence without any grammatical connection.