Spanish Contemporary Novel: 20th Century Literary Shifts

The Contemporary Spanish Novel

The Turn of the 20th Century: Historical and Cultural Context

Between 1890 and 1914, the Western world witnessed a series of profound social and cultural *changes*. This period was marked by a *crisis of the fin de siècle*, characterized by:

• Major technical and scientific progress: the first car, the invention of cinema, and more.
• Rapid industrial and urban growth.
• A *crisis of positivism and rationalism*: Humanity began to doubt that science and human reason alone sufficed to explain and understand the world.

Large *scientific or moral truths*, which had provided a sense of theoretical immovability and security, began to be questioned. As a result, *irrationalist and vitalist theories* emerged, attempting to explain life from a subjective and individualistic perspective.

In Spain, several key events are also worth highlighting:

• The *Disaster of '98*: The loss of Spain's last colonial possessions served as a trigger for widespread discontent, particularly within intellectual circles.
• The *general backwardness of the country*: Many writers and intellectuals believed this necessitated a *regeneration*.

This led to the *Regenerationist Movement*, which advocated for a series of *material reforms* and a renewal of *individual morality*. To this backwardness, caused in part by the decrepitude of the economic structure, was added a general state of intellectual poverty.

The Generation of '98

This term refers to a group of Spanish writers who began publishing at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The name *Generation of '98* originates from the historical event of the *Disaster of 1898*, when Spain lost its last colonies: Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.

This influential group included writers such as:

• Miguel de Unamuno
• Antonio Machado
• Ramón del Valle Inclán

They all shared a spirit of protest against society and the prevailing state of literature. Their concerns included the *issue of Spain* and various *philosophical questions*. The novel was one of their favorite genres, and with the exception of Antonio Machado, all cultivated it. In their attempt to move beyond the 19th-century realist novel, they often constructed narratives around a central character, the protagonist, who frequently embodied the author's own ideas and concerns.