Novecentismo: Spanish Literary Shift in the 1910s

Novecentismo

The cultural movement of the second decade of the twentieth century, also known as the Generation of 14, emerged in opposition to the nineteenth century. Around 1914, Modernism concluded, and a new stage gradually entered. New authors began shedding ornamental elements to achieve an intellectualization. This period saw the appearance of neopopularismo, which would remain relevant in the Generation of '27 (moving beyond the sentimentality of earlier intellectualism).

The Bridge Generation

The Generation of 14 acted as a bridge between the Generation of '98 and the Generation of '27. It was open to the world, defending universal values over purely national ones. Through the League of Political Education, a new approach to contemporary problems emerged, evident in the novel and the essay.

Characteristics and Influences

Novecentismo is characterized by:

• An elaborate technique.
• A rational and cold, objective analysis of reality, rejecting everything sentimental.
• Emphasis on liberal critical thinking.
• Defense of what they termed pure art; art must be autonomous.
• Conception of literature as an art for minorities (intellectual aristocracy).

We find influences from avant-garde movements such as Expressionism, Futurism, Cubism, Dadaism, and Surrealism.

Key Figures and Works

Juan Ramón Jiménez

Juan Ramón Jiménez acted as a bridge between Modernism and the Generation of '27. His production is mostly lyrical, characterized by a continuous search, aspiring to pure poetry.

• First Phase (Sensitive): Part of Modernism, encompassing works like Arias Tristes and Jardines Lejanos.
• Second Phase (Intellectual): More avant-garde and intellectual, featuring Diario de un poeta recién casado.
• Final Stage: Reaching the metaphysical limit with La otra banda and Dios deseado y deseante.

With his lyrical prose, Platero y yo shows a friendly attitude and a desire for beauty, attempting to retrieve three worlds of Modernism for Spanish literature.

Eugenio D'Ors

Eugenio D'Ors published Glosario and Nuevas Tablas, focusing on the science of culture and the renewal of literature.

The Novelists

Within the novel, two groups of authors emerged:

1. Those who understood the work as personal satisfaction, such as Gabriel Miró (with works like Cementerio de Elefantes, Nuestro Padre San Daniel, and El obispo leproso, showing modernist features).
2. Those who sought public satisfaction and fame, such as Pérez de Ayala (author of Belarmino y Apolonio and four books of poems charting his life: La paz del sendero, El sendero innumerable, La senda, and La senda perdida) and Ramón Gómez de la Serna (known for his Greguerías).

Ortega y Gasset

Ortega y Gasset was initially much influenced by Kant. However, Heidegger's work, Being and Time, triggered a change in mentality, opening a new existentialist phase. He opposed the 'barbarism' and intellectual frivolity charged against the Generation of '98. In his final ideal stage, he posited that the main historical reason is the novelist himself, who must narrate his own existence, as seen in La rebelión de las masas.