Modernism and Vanguard Poetry: A Literary Analysis

Poetry to 27

Modernism is not just a literary movement, but also a school of thought that proclaims a new attitude toward life. Modernists are those who advocate for the renewal of existing systems.

1.1 The Literary Modernism

Modernism emerged from Latin America around 1880, led by José Martí and Rubén Darío. This movement is governed by absolute beauty and the formal perfection of the artwork. Its roots lie in the Romantic tradition, Symbolism, and the Parnassian school of French literature, with influences from American, Italian, and English literature.

The modernist movement implies a rejection of daily and immediate reality. Faced with this situation, the writer has two alternatives:

• a) Creation of an imaginary world: Populating poems and tales with unreal outer spaces, nymphs, and fantasy, an ambition inherited from the Romantics.
• b) Intimate investigation: Focusing on the poet's internal response to melancholy, domestic concerns, and anguish.

1.2 Characteristics of Modernism

In addition to a wealth of lexical features, the movement includes the following characteristics:

• a) Discontent: A romantic sense of dissatisfaction with life.
• b) Parnassian inspiration: The search for formal perfection.
• c) Symbolism: The use of musical effects.
• d) Visual beauty: Achieved through vivid imagery.
• e) Preferred meters: The Alexandrian and the dodecasyllabic.

1.3 Modernism in Spain

Modernism in Spain was less bright, exotic, and bold than in Latin America. Featured authors include Salvador Rueda and Manuel Machado.

2. Noucentista Poetry

This movement focused on the creation of a new artistic expression: pure poetry, free from sentimentality and stripped of all rhetoricity. Key poets include José Moreno Villa, Mauricio Bacarisse, and León Felipe.

3. Vanguard Poetry

3.1 Avant-Garde Movements

The first avant-garde manifestations appeared approximately in 1907. The most important movements include:

• a) Futurism: Rejects sentimentality and embraces technological advances.
• b) Cubism: Attaches great importance to visual aspects, such as the calligrammes created by Guillaume Apollinaire.
• c) Dadaism: The poet expresses themselves with absolute freedom to achieve the mental release of the "I."
• d) Creationism: Focuses on the elimination of description and anecdote, emphasizing the importance of the metaphor.
• e) Surrealism: The Surrealist manifesto serves as the genesis of this movement.

3.2 Vanguards in Spain

Some movements, such as Futurism, arrived quickly, while others developed with greater intensity. This includes the invention of Ultraism, which adopts mechanization, references to sports, and the suppression of punctuation. The introduction of Surrealism into Spanish literature was driven by the work of two writers: J. María Hinojosa and Juan Larrea.