Antonio Machado and Miguel de Unamuno: Literary Legacies

Antonio Machado: Poetic Evolution and Symbolism

Antonio Machado, a prominent figure in Spanish literature, initially published modernist verse. While influenced by Rubén Darío, his style quickly developed into a more subjective and intimate “internal flight.” He is noted for the intense emotion and profound self-analysis conveyed through his poems.

His modernist work, Soledades, Galerías y Otros Poemas (1907), primarily explores the author's existential angst. In this collection, Machado describes decadent landscapes (gardens, plazas, fountains) onto which he projects his mood, sometimes engaging in a dialogue that receives no response.

Machado's Poetic Symbols of Anxiety

Machado uses a series of symbols to translate that anxiety:

• The evening, the wheel, the roads: These elements reflect on time, expressing concern for what has been lived and lost.
• The water: Symbolizes life (moving water) or eternal monotony and pain (always equal to infinity). In a broader sense, it can also symbolize death.
• The heart, galleries, and beehives: Refer to creative poetry and attempt to explain the poet's inner consciousness.
• Dreams: For the poet, dreams are the means of true knowledge.
• The garden: Represents illusion, often linked to the joy of childhood memories.

Regarding the metrics in this work, Machado often highlights a single assonance in paired lines (reminiscent of traditional romances and cultured lyric romance) to express the melancholic tone of the texts.

Over the years, his ideological evolution led him to address social and political issues, a common trait among authors of the Generation of '98. His fundamental work from this period is Campos de Castilla (1912-1917).

Evolution in Campos de Castilla

In Campos de Castilla, Machado's poetry becomes more vital, genuine, and heartfelt. It no longer focuses solely on his inner world; instead, the external world and the feelings and emotions it evokes become central. Regarding meter, he begins incorporating traditional verses and consonant rhyme, while still retaining some modernist innovations.

The Castilian landscape (a symbol of history and the poet himself) is depicted with deep emotion, appearing more real than symbolic, more human and intimate in character, reflecting its history. These elements serve to portray the character and conduct of the Spanish people: on one hand, expressing envy and criticism of those who do not work, and on the other, praising those who strive to advance the country.

The book includes poems mourning the death of Leonor and brief philosophical musings, often with a judgmental character (e.g., Proverbios y Cantares).

Miguel de Unamuno: Key Ideas and Literary Style

Key Quotations

• “It hurts Spain”
• “Europe should be 'peninsularized' and Spain 'Europeanized'” (a model for our development)

Literary Characteristics

• Low number of characters, with little individual importance.
• Prevalence of dialogues and monologues to express detailed thoughts, ideas, and emotions of characters.
• Focus on family conflicts: love, fraternal relationships, etc.
• A preference for paradox and contrast as a method of seeking truth.