Modernism: Origins, Themes, and Poetic Style

Modernism emerged in the final years of the nineteenth century in Europe and America. This period saw emerging fin de siècle trends of thought that sought to renew the social and political landscape, as well as artistic tastes, challenging prevailing movements like Realism and Naturalism. Initially, the term "modernist" carried a derogatory connotation, used by those opposed to these new developments. However, it eventually came to designate, without any negative implication, the proponents of this innovative trend. The leading figure of Modernism is the Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío.

The characteristic features of Modernism encompass both its thematic concerns and its distinctive style. Generally, Modernists sought harmony, wholeness, and perfection, idealizing a world they wished to create and inhabit, often as an escape from reality.

Key Characteristics of Modernism

Thematic Elements

Sensory Beauty and Escapism

Modernists sought a more beautiful and expressive world where they could find refuge, aiming to escape the mundane reality of everyday life and routine. This led to a predilection for idealized historical periods, such as the medieval world, the classical era, the Renaissance, and the French Versailles of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, as well as distant and exotic locales. Common themes include refined stories featuring princesses, mythological figures, and literary heroes. Blue and swans are among the favorite symbols of the Modernists: blue symbolizes freedom, and the swan represents an aristocratic tendency, contrasting with bourgeois values. This inclination to escape the real world and discover more beautiful alternatives is closely related to Romanticism, which preceded Realism.

The Writer's Inner World

Modernists moved away from Realism, which focused on the objective observation of environments and landscapes, to instead describe their personal feelings. These feelings often identified with the landscape itself, reflecting the author's state of mind. It is also important to note the emphasis on sensuality and the idealization of women and love. The expression of the inner world also shows a connection with Romanticism, although, for example, impossible love is treated differently within Modernism.

Stylistic Features

To capture beauty and the inner world, Modernists carefully chose words to produce musical effects and vivid imagery. Key stylistic elements include:

• Extensive use of phonetic devices such as onomatopoeia and alliteration.
• Abundant use of other literary figures like metaphors, allegories, parallels, and synesthesia.
• Employment of common ornamental adjectives and exotic, erudite, and suggestive words to express their feelings.
• Recovery of some less-used verse types, such as the Alexandrine or hendecasyllable, while continuing to use well-established forms like the hendecasyllable and octosyllable in Spanish literature. There was also a recovery of disused stanzas, such as the cuaderna vía (using Alexandrine verses), and the creation of new stanza forms.
• Versification by feet (equal distribution of similarly accented syllable groups) to achieve a pronounced rhythm.