Modernist Literary Techniques and Global Influences

The Renewal of the Modern Novel

Following a decline in artistic quality, the novel underwent a significant renewal. Novelists became increasingly open to the world, drawing inspiration from influential foreign authors:

English Literature

• James Joyce: Mastered the interior monologue and the synchronization of chronological time with the subjective experience of reading Ulysses.
• Aldous Huxley: Pioneered the "counterpoint" technique, presenting multiple situations simultaneously. Brave New World remains his masterpiece.
• Virginia Woolf: Created the intellectual and psychological novel, utilizing a slow narrative tempo characterized by deep introspection and detailed psychological analysis.

French Literature

• Marcel Proust: Developed the psychological novel through simultaneous temporal and spatial levels. His "rosette" technique is famously showcased in In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower (part of In Search of Lost Time).

American Literature and the Lost Generation

American psychological behaviorism influenced the novel by presenting characters driven by incentives and predictable reactions, while maintaining subtle psychological motives. These novels often focus on the masses.

Key Representatives:

• William Faulkner: Known for psychologically laden monologues.
• John Dos Passos: Utilized the "traveling" or cinematic technique with broad strokes.
• Ernest Hemingway: Focused on action and strong passions.
• John Steinbeck: Employed psychology and interior monologues.

American techniques also introduced the flashback, the foreground, and shearing (the confluence of simultaneous actions across different times and places via a single detail).

Spanish and Global Influences

In Spain, Luis Martín-Santos’s 1962 work Tiempo de silencio inaugurated the "experimental novel." Luis Romero’s La noria serves as an example of these influences, particularly regarding the collective character.

Other Notable Influences:

• Franz Kafka: Explored absurd situations in works like The Metamorphosis and The Trial.
• Thomas Mann: Utilized narrative delay, irony, and psychological analysis in The Magic Mountain.
• Latin American Literature: Key figures include Miguel Ángel Asturias, Gabriel García Márquez (One Hundred Years of Solitude), Julio Cortázar (Hopscotch), Mario Vargas Llosa (The Time of the Hero), and Carlos Fuentes (The Death of Artemio Cruz).