Iberoamerican Modernism and Generation of '98 Literary Movements

Iberoamerican Modernism and Generation of '98

Modernism in Iberoamerica

Modernism in Iberoamerica began in the late nineteenth century and concluded with the start of the First World War. Its fundamental characteristics included:

• Aesthetic rebellion against bourgeois evasion.
• Intense eroticism in representing feelings of love.
• A melancholy tone mixed with rebellion and vitality.
• A search for a new poetic language.
• Restoration of metric forms.

Generation of '98

This movement focused on:

• Concern for the problem of Spain.
• A desire for openness towards Europe.
• A deep love for Spain.
• A taste for traditional and popular lexicon.
• Moderation in the use of language and rejection of rhetorical excess.
• Subjectivism.

Rubén Darío

Rubén Darío was one of the most celebrated and admired poets of his time. His artistic development is clear in his three major books of poems:

• Azul... (Blue): Juvenile work full of enthusiasm.
• Prosas Profanas (Profane Prose): Corresponds to the splendor of the modernist movement and his most successful personal life and songs of hope.
• Cantos de vida y esperanza (Songs of Life and Hope): A book which questions the meaning of existence and expresses vital disappointment.

Unamuno

Miguel de Unamuno stressed themes concerning the purity of Spain. His book En torno al casticismo proposed a renovation of Spain without sacrificing tradition. He emphasized the necessity of Don Quixote and Sancho, seeing Don Quixote as an example of the Spanish spirit, and focused on the land of Portugal and Spain, emphasizing the spiritual value of the Castilian landscape.

Unamuno treated existential issues, such as the meaning of life and the desire for immortality, in The Tragic Sense of Life and The Agony of Christianity. He also wrote poetry, plays, and novels, including Mist (Fog) and San Manuel Bueno, mártir.

Pío Baroja

Pío Baroja conceived the novel as an open genre, which could include both action and reflection. His style might seem careless, but it highlights the vividness of his descriptions and the accuracy of his dialogue.

Among his novels, those grouped into trilogies include:

• La lucha por la vida (The Struggle for Life): Including La busca (The Pursuit), Aurora (Weed), and Rojeriza (Red Dawn), depicting the poorer environment of Madrid.
• Basque Country Trilogy: Including Zalacaín el aventurero (Zalacaín the Adventurer), La casa de Aizgorri, and El mayorazgo de Labraz.

His work often presented a pessimistic vision of the world, exemplified in novels like Camino de perfección (The Way of Perfection) and El árbol de la ciencia (The Tree of Science).