Classical and Avant-Garde Influences in Spanish Poetry

Item 8

Classical Influence and Pure Poetry

Poets of the Generation of '27 received the influence of Spanish classics, such as Góngora and Juan Ramón Jiménez. The influence of Bécquer and classical forms is evident in the use of hendecasyllables, tenths, eighths, and sonetos reales. Bécquer's presence is felt in the love poetry of Salinas and Cernuda.

Pure poetry, influenced by Juan Ramón Jiménez's poems and Dámaso Alonso, is exemplified by Pedro Salinas's La voz a ti debida. This work is part of a trilogy that includes Razón de amor and Largo lamento. In it, the beloved gives meaning to the existence of the lover.

Avant-Garde Poetry

Avant-garde movements that influenced the Generation of '27 were Creationism, Ultraism, and Surrealism. The influence of Ultraism and Surrealism is evident in Gerardo Diego's Imagen and Manual de espumas. Surrealism's greatest influence was the use of illogical images.

• Los placeres prohibidos: This work was published in 1931 and written in free verse. Cernuda explores the limits of love, identified with desire and pleasure.
• La destrucción o el amor: Published in 1935, this work equates love with death and the destruction of everything human. There is a celebration of love because, for Vicente Aleixandre, wild animals are the purest manifestations of existence.

Item 9

Literature Since the Civil War

The Civil War (1936-1939) established a radical break with the literary approaches that were developed in the first third of the 20th century. During the Civil War, literature was dominated by Republican or Nationalist ideological propaganda, in which literary quality generally prevailed.

Since the Civil War, the evolution of Spanish literature has been linked to subsequent social and political transformations experienced in the country, including censorship and the death or exile of many thinkers, artists, and writers.

Stages of Postwar Literature

• 1940s: Two approaches were dominant:
  • A literature of exaltation of the dominant ideas.
  • Pieces that reflect the anguish of a social situation.
• Literature from the 1950s: Ideological openness facilitated the publication of works of formal testimony.
• Renewal in the 1960s: Economic development allowed for foreign literary inflows and formal renewal.
• Recent Trends: Since 1975, with the advent of democracy, authors have expressed themselves freely and followed diverse guidelines.