Miguel de Unamuno and the Generation of '98: Literary Renewal and Existential Conflict

Miguel de Unamuno: Key Themes and Works

Two fundamental issues define Miguel de Unamuno's work: the issue of Spanish identity and the existential characteristics associated with the Generation of '98.

The first theme is reflected in the early work, About Traditionalism (1895), which addresses the issues of '98, the valuation of Castile, the Spanish and European context, and the idea of intrahistoria (the history of the anonymous, daily man).

Unamuno later focused on profound existential questions, often expressed through the following contradictions:

• Death / Immortality
• Reason / Faith
• Science / Religion
• Nothingness (*Nada*) / Eternity

It has been noted that the only key character in his works is often Unamuno himself, projecting his ideas, feelings, and doubts. This obsession with immortality remains the root of his central conflicts.

Major Works of Miguel de Unamuno

Essays:

• About Traditionalism (1895)
• Life of Don Quixote and Sancho (1905)
• The Tragic Sense of Life (1913)
• The Agony of Cristianismo (1924)

Novels:

• Peace in War (1897)
• Love and Pedagogy (1902)
• Fog (1914)
• Aunt Tula (1921)
• San Manuel Bueno, Martyr (1930)

Unamuno coined the term Nivola for some of these novels to emphasize their difference from realistic descriptions. In the Nivola, realistic descriptions are minimized, the character is presented in their existential struggle, and dialogue becomes critical.

Generation of '98: Themes and Narrative Techniques

Modernism and the Generation of '98 share the goal of renewing literature across all genres. However, Modernism is primarily identified with poetry, while the Generation of '98 is strongly associated with the novel and the essay.

The emergence of these authors in the intellectual and literary landscape was driven by two main circumstances:

1. The atmosphere of political, economic, and moral crisis, exacerbated by the loss of the last colonies (Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines) in 1898 (the year that names the Generation).
2. The exhaustion of the themes and forms prevalent in nineteenth-century literature.

The writers of '98 proposed a reform of social behavior and the moral subjectivism of Spaniards. They defended a personal view of things, contrasting with the impersonal reproduction of reality attempted by nineteenth-century authors.

Core Themes of the Generation of '98

1. Spanish Identity and Social Concern: A deep preoccupation with the essence of Spain and its social issues.
2. The Landscape: Especially the landscape of Castile, through which they sought to discover the Spanish soul.
3. History: Not the history of major political events, but the daily life of the anonymous man, which Unamuno termed intrahistoria.
4. The Issue of Existence: Profound philosophical and existential questions.

Stylistic and Literary Techniques

1. Sobriety: Fleeing grandiloquent rhetoric and striving for maximum clarity in their ideas.
2. Lexical Renewal: A taste for traditional words, putting into circulation a huge lexical reservoir collected from villages or drawn from classical texts.