Modernist Literary Aesthetics and the Legacy of Rubén Darío

The Essence of Modernist Literary Aesthetics

Literary aesthetics consisted of the pursuit of beauty in order to escape everyday routine and mediocrity, demonstrating a disagreement with it. This is particularly evident in the evocative historical and legendary themes, racing through time and space, lost civilizations, and trips to unexplored worlds: the silent East, the Middle Ages, etc. The main contributions of aesthetics in these evocations are figures such as swans, princesses, and nymphs, alongside the expression of personal privacy influenced by Romanticism. It represents melancholy, boredom, and sadness, often characterized by crepuscular autumn landscapes, mysterious gardens, and gray, closed afternoons.

Key Figures in Castilian Modernism

• Tomás Morales: Roses of Hercules (Castilian Modernism).
• Alberto Álvarez de Cienfuegos: Errant (1910).
• Ricardo Gil: Music Box (1898).
• Manuel Machado: Alma, Caprichos, National Holiday, The Bad Poem, etc.
• Eduardo Marquina: The Daughters of the Cid, In Flanders the Sun Has Set, Teresa of Jesus, and The Chapel, the Source, and the River.
• Manuel Reina Montilla: The Garden of Poets.
• Saúl.

The Origins and Influences of Modernism

• Romanticism: Modernism takes rebelliousness, individualism, sentimentality, a tendency toward sadness, a taste for the irrational and fantastic, and nocturnal environments.
• Parnassianism: Influenced by Greco-Roman myths, exotic countries, and especially formal perfection and brilliant, resounding language.
• Symbolism: A taste for the occult, things beyond, and the ability of certain words to evoke deeper meanings.
• Impressionism: A focus on sensations and the first impressions of the senses.

The Rise of Modernist Pioneers

At the start of Modernism, key figures included Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera and Salvador Díaz Mirón (Mexico), José Asunción Silva (Colombia), Julián del Casal and José Martí (Cuba), and Rubén Darío. After the publication of "Blue" (Azul, 1888), Darío focused on French poetry under a Parnassian influence.

The Life and Impact of Rubén Darío

The real name of the Romantic Rubén Darío (1867–1916) was Félix Rubén García Sarmiento. His devotion to literature was precocious. In 1892, he went to Spain, delegated by his government to commemorate the discovery of America. Reading French Parnassians and Victor Hugo, plus a trip to Chile in 1886, were his most decisive life experiences.

His literary contribution included hitherto uncollected poems, epistles, and notes: Primeras Notas (1885). While in Chile, he published Canto to the Glories of Chile (1887), Abrojos and Rimas (1887), and Azul, which marked the final emergence of modern aesthetics.