Spanish Literature: Valle Inclán, Jiménez & Generation of 98

Valle Inclán: Modern Poetry

Valle Inclán is known for three books of modern poetry:

• Aromas of Legend (1907): A fusion of modernism with the mystical grounds of lyrical Galicia.
• The Passenger (1920): Deals with issues using imagination, magic, and astrology.
• The Pipe Kif (1919): Coloristic style, a caricature of the nonsensical.

His poetry is characterized by significant rhythms, rhyme, and color.

Juan Ramón Jiménez: Pure Poetry

Juan Ramón Jiménez's personal work is related to pure poetry and the aesthetics of silence.

Stage 1: Sensory

• Arias Tristes (1903)
• Jardines Lejanos (1904)
• Balada de Primavera (1907)
• Platero y yo (1914)

Stage 2: Intellectual

• Diario de un poeta recién casado (1916)

Stage 3: Exile

• Estación Total (1946)
• Dios deseado y deseante (1949)

Jiménez was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Generation of 98: Key Themes and Authors

Base Group: Azorín, Baroja, and Unamuno, with a close relationship to Maeztu. The theme of Spain is raised subjectively.

Topics:

1. Enthusiasm for history: looking at the past evils.
2. Lands of Spain, described with love and pain.
3. Existential malaise.
4. Religious problems: from agnosticism in youth to strong traditional Catholicism.
5. Critique of the Hispanic man and the past glories of Spain.

Style:

Literary renewal, with admiration for Bécquer and Larra.

1. Ideal precursor of sobriety and care in form.
2. Taste for traditional words.
3. Innovations in prose, making up the modern essay to collect thoughts or experiences.
4. New techniques in novels.

Authors of the Generation of 98

Unamuno

Unamuno is outside of modernism. He uses a shape with little musical themes: religious, Spanish reality, love, and family affections.

Works:

• Poems
• You Raise Me Up, Land of Castile (1911)
• Sonnets of the Rosary: longing for faith against doubt.
• The Song: written in exile.
• El Cristo de Velázquez: a hendecasyllable poem with religious emotion.

Antonio Machado

Born in Seville, his works cover topics such as privacy, memories, the Castilian landscape, and concern over Spain and time.

Works:

• Soledades (1903): Symbols include the evening (end of life) and water (time, death).
• Campos de Castilla: Addresses the above issues.

His poetry is simple and sober.