Novecentismo Novelists: Gabriel Miró and Ramón Pérez de Ayala

The Novecentismo Novel: Gabriel Miró and Ramón Pérez de Ayala

The novelists of the Generation of '14 can be split into two lines: those continuing narrative modes of earlier stages, such as Concha Espina and Ricardo León, and those seeking renewal, such as Miró and Pérez de Ayala. Other authors are Fernández Flórez, a master of the comic novel, and Benjamín Jarnés, who reduces the action to a minimum. These authors have in common the overcoming of narrative and stylistic patterns of Realism, though they follow different paths: one through lyricism; another through irony and humor; in other cases, through the intellectualism of the approach; and sometimes by means of dehumanization, which meant the "lack of interest in human vicissitude" and special attention to language, especially through metaphor.

Gabriel Miró

Gabriel Miró created a powerful novelistic lyricism that has led him to be considered one of the leading representatives of the narrative of the first decade of the 20th century. He wrote long novels, short stories, and impressions of people and land. He is noted for his sensitivity, his ability to capture feelings, and his strong lyrical sense. He dominates language, studded with vivid images, emotion, and beauty. In his work, action ceases to be the fundamental element and becomes a medium for descriptions and surprising verbal findings.

Notable Works:

• The Leper Bishop
• Our Father San Daniel
• The Cherry Orchard

Ramón Pérez de Ayala

As a novelist, Ramón Pérez de Ayala evolved from the autobiographical novel to the intellectual novel. Three stages can be distinguished in his work:

1. In the first, he publishes autobiographical novels, which were intended to reflect the crisis of Hispanic conscience since the beginning of the century.
2. In the second, he published a volume of three stories, "poetic novels of Spanish life," in which the autobiographical disappears and ideas gain ground.
3. In the third, the action becomes less important because what matters are the thoughts on various subjects; the characters embody vital attitudes. The novel approaches ideas or essays.

Notable Work:

• Tiger Juan

This author provides technical developments in the structure and represents the most robust model of the intellectual novel. His style is dense, a mixture of irony and seriousness, and popular and cultured expressions. He strives to get an accurate transcript of his thought, its paradoxes, and its complexity.