Generation of '98: Key Novelists and Literary Features

The Novel in the Generation of '98

As indicated in the chapter on the Generation of '98, the novel is the most important genre for many cultured members of this group. The subjects they prefer are Spain, the causes of decay, history, people... further reflection on man and his destiny. These authors do not care about the history of great characters, but for what Unamuno called the intra-historia, i.e., 'the quiet life of thousands of people without history.' Another key element in the novels of the Generation of '98 is the description of the landscape as a reflection of a particular mood.

With regard to form, these authors rely on simplicity and clarity, fleeing empty rhetoric and long sentences. The most important thing is the plot, background, and ensuring these do not become an obstacle to understanding the message implicit in the novel.

Among the members of the Generation of '98, the major novelists are: Pio Baroja, Ramón del Valle-Inclán, Miguel de Unamuno, José Martínez Ruiz, Azorín, and Ángel Ganivet. These authors published their novels during the first three decades of the twentieth century, i.e., until the beginning of the Civil War, which played a kind of teaching role on the younger writers who were initiated in the narrative.

Novel Features

The first half of the twentieth century is very rich from the literary point of view. Quality is the common denominator of all genres, but if one stands above the rest, it is undoubtedly the novel. The authors of the Generation of '98 use the genre as a key vehicle of expression and it becomes the genre par excellence of twentieth-century literature. Subsequently, the authors belonging to the Generation of '14 or Novecentismo cultivate it in profusion, along with the essay, and both intend to seek new narrative paths. In the forties, after the Spanish Civil War, literature is conditioned by ideology and the novel is no exception. The authors present their point of view in their novels while attempting to be original and experiment with new narrative techniques. They looked for new narrative angles that reflect a greater wealth of perspective and vision to the reader. In addition, new publishers and libraries are born, which, together with the increase in translation, contribute to the full development of the novel.