Key Authors of Spanish Modernism and Gen '98

Spanish Modernism

Modernism employed an innovative poetic style, brilliant and often difficult to comprehend, full of metaphors and symbols with a lexicon of textures and sonorities in which we hear colors and see sounds, seeking a raw aesthetic in which content is paramount.

Key authors include: Rubén Darío, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Antonio Machado.

Antonio Machado

Seville was the stage for his early, more intimate and simpler language than that of Rubén Darío. But he soon began to address the problems of the people, adopting a more sober, direct style, less fraught with symbols. He became a major exponent of the poetic Generation of '98 with Campos de Castilla. He lived in Soria for years as a French teacher, was in favor of the Republic during the Civil War, and died in exile in France.

Juan Ramón Jiménez

Juan Ramón Jiménez's work can be divided into phases:

Phases of his work:

• Sensitive-modernist: Poetry dominated by feelings and sensations. His favorite landscapes were gardens, parks, and sunsets. He used assonance rhyme.
• Intellectual: Predominantly intellectual reflections on poetry. He used free verse, aiming for pure poetry that had eliminated all ornaments, focusing only on the core idea. A key work is Diary of a Newly Married Poet.
• Sufficient: Belongs to the poetry he wrote in exile. The poems speak of the poet himself and his work. Juan Ramón feels that through his dedication to poetry, he is in contact with all that is true and beautiful in the world. He calls this beauty 'God'. A key work is Desired and Desiring.

He also wrote the prose work Platero y yo, featuring a donkey.

The Generation of '98

Modernism arrived in Europe and developed extensively, but not everywhere in the same way or with the same intensity. In Spain, poets generally adopted a less exuberant, more intimate Modernism than that of Nicaragua's Rubén Darío, using simpler language.

Characteristics of the Generation of '98:

• They do not evade their surroundings; their works address the problems of man and society in which they live, in a reflective tone.
• Their language continues the poetic influence of Modernism but is simpler and expresses ideas more clearly because they want to reach the general public.
• Unlike the focus on Paris and exotic places by some Modernists, the authors of the Generation of '98 prefer the quiet serenity of the land of Castile.
• While Antonio Machado is emphasized as a poet of this generation, unlike Modernism which was primarily a poetic movement, the authors of this group developed their work through other literary genres as well.