Major Currents in 20th Century Spanish Literature and Novel Analysis

Major Currents in 20th Century Spanish Literature

Modernism belongs to young supporters of a new literature, seeking an aesthetic beauty that leads to an aesthetic renewal. The Generation of '98 was also lively, but with a renewed zeal to give special attention to historical time.

In 1914, the poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez opened the path to Pure Poetry. Novencentismo, or the Generation of '14 (Ramon Gómez de la Serna), also contributed to Modernism. Avant-garde literature gained momentum, reaching its peak around 1925.

After the Spanish Civil War, literature split into two groups (internal exile) based on their search for meaning:

• The Rooted: Those who felt installed in the world.
• The Uprooted: Those who expressed anguish and malaise.

Around 1955 marked the rise of Social Realism (often called emergency literature), which sought to denounce social unrest, poverty, and injustice. In 1968, the Post-Avant-garde movement, including the Novísimos, emerged, seeking to reform the world and, consequently, literature. Experimentation moderated in the 1980s, leading to a return to more traditional lines, such as the comedy of manners.

The Structure and Elements of the Novel

In the Golden Age, the novel was often composed of short stories that proliferated. Today, short stories are often considered short novels. The novel fills the void left by the epic. Thematic weight has expanded over time to include social, historical, and philosophical reflections.

Novel Classification by Focus

• Action Novels: The foreground is the events that happen; psychological analysis is secondary.
• Character Novels: Begin with a central character who is studied in depth.
• Space Novels: Focus on the detailed description of the social and historical environment.

Internal Structure and Narrative Voice

The novel's internal structure is typically divided into three parts: Presentation, Knot, and Episode.

Types of Narrators

The narrator of the novel may take several forms:

• Editor: A writer who claims the work is not their own but was found.
• Protagonist: Uses the first person, often confusing the character's voice with the narrator's. (When the second person is used, the narrator often becomes a first or third-person narrative.)
• Witness: The narrator is present during the events, but their intervention in the action is minimal or nonexistent.
• Interior Monologue: Occurs in the first person, representing the direct thought of a character.

Time and Space

We must distinguish between Story Time (the time the action takes) and Discourse Time (the time the narrator uses). The narrator can change the order of events (approach, knot, outcome). Techniques include:

• In medias res (starting in the middle of the action).
• In extreme res (starting at the end).
• Flashback.

The narrator can also make anticipations of future events. The space is independent; the place where the action occurs (open or closed) is important to the setting.

Characters and Plot

Characters are the subject of the action. They are classified based on their role:

• Protagonist or Antagonist.
• Secondary (Ally or Adversary).

According to their psychology, characters can be flat (simple and homogeneous) or round (complex psychological development). In some cases, the main character gives way to a collective character.

The Plot is the action that develops the novel, where time and the characters' development are set, representing the flow and life itself.