20th-Century Spanish Literature: From Noucentisme to Avant-Garde

20th-Century Spanish Literature

Noucentisme (Early 20th Century)

From 1914, a shift from 19th-century literary traditions emerged with Noucentisme. Authors of this movement rejected sentimentalism, favoring serene and balanced perspectives. The aesthetic emphasized beauty and pure art, aiming for aesthetic pleasure. Writers meticulously crafted language, utilizing its poetic function. This resulted in literature appealing to a select minority; it was elitist.

Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881–1958)

Born in Moguer (Huelva), Jiménez's life was marked by the loss of religious faith and his father's death, leading to depression. His literary journey can be divided into three stages:

• Sensitive Period (Modernist Poetry): Preoccupied with time and death, his poems explored themes of loneliness and melancholy. He employed a sober language, often using traditional Romantic forms. Key works include Elejias, The Sound Isolation, Spiritual Sonnets, and Platero y yo, characterized by intimacy and sensory language.
• Intellectual Period (Naked Poetry): Intelligence, knowledge, and truth dominated his poetry, aimed at a discerning minority. He used short poems, often without rhyme or in free verse.
• Sufficient Period: His language became more complex during his exile from Spain.

José Ortega y Gasset, a prominent intellectual of the time, significantly influenced the literature of this period. His essay, The Dehumanization of Art, analyzed new artistic trends and served as a manifesto for many young writers.

The Avant-Garde

The avant-garde represented a more radical break, striving for originality, sometimes resulting in hermetic (difficult to understand) works. Key movements include:

• Futurism: Founded by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in 1909, Futurism celebrated progress and technology. Its authors advocated for a literary technique that disregarded traditional syntax, rejecting the past and transforming everyday objects into modern beauty.
• Cubism: In Cubist poetry, letters formed visual images reflecting the text's content. Though originating in painting, Guillaume Apollinaire adapted it to literature.
• Dadaism: Created by Tristan Tzara, Dadaism aimed to recapture the incoherent language of children. It utilized newspaper clippings and served as a precursor to Surrealism.
• Surrealism: Emerging in 1924, Surrealism, led by André Breton, sought freedom from constraints on writers' self-expression, advocating for automatic writing.

In Spain, the avant-garde manifested in:

• Creationism: Led by Vicente Huidobro, Creationism viewed the poet as a creator, emphasizing originality over imitation.
• Ultraism: Founded by Guillermo de Torre, Ultraism was a visual poetry style without punctuation, reflecting the progress celebrated by all avant-garde movements.

Juan Ramón Gómez de la Serna

Gómez de la Serna marked another break from earlier literature. He developed his own avant-garde style, "Ramona," connected to other avant-garde movements. He employed greguerías, short metaphorical and often humorous observations.