Catalan Modernism: Literary and Theatrical Movements

Modernist Poetry

Regenerationist Poetry

This trend advocated for spontaneous, pure, and sincere poetry, emphasizing the expression of the artist's emotivity. Formal concerns were secondary, aligning with a vitalist perspective where themes felt like a second nature.

Aestheticist Poetry

This movement connected poets with Europe's most innovative poetic trends. It championed cultured, processed, and contrived poetry, both in form and content.

Joan Maragall (1860-1911)

Considered Barcelona's most important poet, Joan Maragall represented the regenerationist edge of Modernism. His poetic theory was based on the "living word" (paraula viva). For Maragall, the word was sacred because it revealed the most intimate vibration of the poet.

In his poetry, the recreation of myths and popular themes from Catalan tradition, as well as the evolution of nature and landscape, are prominent.

Major Works:

• Poesies (1895)
• Visions and Cants (1900)
• Enllà (1906)

The Generation of 1909

This period marked a fleeting existence for Modernism. It exercised influence in poetry, alongside the success of Teodor Llorente's comedy sketches in the theater.

Economic-social factors, such as the nature of the people and the lack of a bourgeoisie that wrote in Spanish, were significant. Figures like Miguel Duran Valencia and Daniel Martinez Ferrando highlighted the need for renewal.

The Mallorcan School

This school was characterized by its emphasis on containment, balance, and the pursuit of perfect formal expression.

Key Poets:

• Miguel Costa i Llobera (1854-1922): His vision of poetry embraced the heritage and landscape of Mallorca.
• Joan Alcover (1854-1926): Published popular compositions and was considered legendary by late 1909.

Modernist Theater

Modernist theater experienced a profound renewal, characterized by two main trends:

Regenerationist Theater

This was a theater of ideas, focusing on conflicts between the artist and society, including the church, and between the individual and their environment. A notable figure was Ignasi Iglésias.

Aestheticist Theater

Proponents of this trend defended "art for art's sake" (l'art pour l'art). Their themes did not address problematic social issues. Adrià Gual was a prominent figure in this movement.

Miscellaneous Linguistic Notes

A collection of phrases and linguistic observations:

• Go big: (regaladament)
• In loco it: (the Babalà)
• Maybe: (maybe)
• To join him: (as very)
• Otherwise: (if not)
• What our in: (on)
• In it sucesivo: (hereinafter)
• Da lo mismo: (so does)
• It is same: (the same)
• Is not really: (does not nothing is)
• Necessary equipment: (the rest)
• You smallest: (it small or too)
• Soon: (as sooner the better)!
• What are the things!: (Vege!)
• It enough: (enough)
• Pro lo demas: (this side)
• So generally: (generally)
• Least: (at least)
• So soon: (for now)
• So both: (so)
• By apparently: (apparently)

Linguistic Quantifiers and Constructions:

• Quantifiers: They, like so... like, more...
• Constructions: Behind specific intensive.

Phonetic Observations:

• Stressed vowel voiceless stops.
• Observations regarding sounds behind unstressed vowels or consonants.
• Bilabial sounds arising in the same context: p (deaf/voiceless), b.
• T sound: dental fricative sound.
• Velar fricative sound: k, g.