Spanish Literature: Modernism and the Generation of '98

Modernism and the Generation of '98

The first question to be addressed when studying Spanish literature of this period is the term we use to designate the authors of the late nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth. We usually talk of Modernism and the Group of '98. In the late nineteenth century, Spain experienced a general crisis: the political system (based on turnismo, with conservative and progressive rigged elections to alternate in power) did not work; social gaps increased (proletariat and peasants against the bourgeoisie), and the first violent social conflicts began to emerge. In the last years of the century, a group of intellectuals called for a series of concrete measures to solve the country's problems. This is the concept of regenerationism, as seen in Joaquín Costa (famous for his slogan "Pantry and school," which encapsulates all the problems of late-nineteenth-century Spain in the lack of a good education system and in poverty), or as Francisco Giner de los Ríos, promoter of the Free Institution of Education. In the same vein was the writer from Granada, Angel Ganivet. This critical situation was exacerbated by the independence in 1898, after years of war, of Cuba and the Philippines, the last Spanish colonies. This disaster caused economic and human losses. Then came a group of writers concerned with the country's problems, the issue of Spain. These are the members of the Generation or Group of '98. The Group of '98 is included within a broader movement, Modernism. Modernists are authors that, based on a grudge against their age, seek new avenues of expression away from the usual, which they associate with the bourgeoisie. Juan Ramón Jiménez defined Modernism as a great movement of enthusiasm and freedom toward beauty. Thus, Modernism is a literary and cultural movement in which the Group of '98 appears, consisting of a number of authors who are dedicated, with a more sober language, to looking into the causes of the end-of-the-century crisis.

The Group of '98: A Literary Generation

• The age difference between its members cannot exceed fifteen years.
• They have a similar intellectual formation.
• The presence of a leader, an intellectual guide for the group, is required.
• Members have close personal relationships with each other (coexistence, friendship, gatherings, joint events, etc.).
• They live a "generational event": a fact of historical significance that unites them.
• Being a literary generation, the existence of common features on issues and style is essential, as opposed to the previous generation.

Characteristics of the Group of '98

• Born between 1864 (Unamuno) and 1875 (Antonio Machado).
• Although they all come from the bourgeoisie, they take an anti-bourgeois attitude in their early stages. They are self-taught and are declared critics of the Spanish education system.
• It is clear that there is a guide. Philosophers Nietzsche and Schopenhauer have been proposed. More widespread is the view that it was Unamuno. Pedro Salinas says that the leader "is present precisely because of his absence."
• They participate in some joint events: a visit to the tomb of Larra, a tribute to Baroja for the publication of The Way of Perfection, a protest against the awarding of the Nobel Prize to Echegaray, and a visit to Toledo to admire the paintings of El Greco.
• They were united by the disaster of '98. The war served as a trigger for a situation that had been brewing anyway.
• Skepticism and pessimism are common features. They are concerned about religious and existential issues and, above all, the subject of Spain, with Castile being essentialized.
• Admiration for Larra, Quevedo, and Cervantes. The latter's work will stimulate multiple trials.
• Simplicity and conciseness. Great importance is attached to the idea over its expression. Anti-rhetoricism.
• Subjectivity, especially significant in the descriptions of landscapes.
• Innovations in literary genres: the nivola of Unamuno or the esperpento of Valle-Inclán.

Modernism

Modernism is a general movement characteristic of this time.

The themes most commonly cultivated by these authors are:

• Escapism
• Cosmopolitanism
• Romantic love and eroticism
• American Issues
• The Hispanic Malaise

With regard to form, the modernist aesthetic is reflected in:

• The search for sensory effects
• Poetic language