Spanish Modernism and the Literary Legacy of 1898

Modernist Aesthetics and Symbolism

Modernism is an aestheticist literature; it seeks beauty above all else. Authors seek an escape from reality, placing their works in remote settings, both in space and time. Regarding the themes, feelings such as boredom, lassitude, and melancholy are frequently expressed. In many cases, it uses symbolic elements such as the swan, which became a symbol of modernist aesthetics.

Miguel de Unamuno: The Philosopher of the Novel

Miguel de Unamuno (1864–1936) was born in Bilbao but lived in Salamanca, where he was a professor at the University. He cultivated various literary genres but excelled particularly in the essay and the novel.

In his essays, Unamuno alternated between philosophical reflection (The Tragic Sense of Life) and reflection on Spain (En torno al casticismo). In his novels, philosophical and intellectual content takes precedence over the plot. Unamuno called this new type of novel a "Nivola," in which the action is minimal and there are many dialogues and inner monologues. Notable works include:

• San Manuel Bueno, Martyr: Discusses the crisis of faith of a priest.
• Mist (Niebla): Whose hero, Augusto Pérez, discovers he is a fictional character.

Adverbial Clauses in Spanish Grammar

Clauses of Time

• Meaning: Expresses a circumstance of time.
• Form: Often introduced by the relative adverb when (without an antecedent) or conjunctions and conjunctive phrases such as as, while, or as soon as.

Clauses of Place

• Meaning: Expresses the location of a fact.
• Form: Introduced by the relative adverb where (without an antecedent), which may or may not be preceded by a preposition.

Clauses of Manner

• Meaning: Expresses the circumstances of how an action is performed.
• Form: May be headed by a gerund or introduced by the relative adverb as (without an antecedent) or conjunctions like according to or how.

Juan Ramón Jiménez and the Pursuit of Perfection

Juan Ramón Jiménez was born in Moguer, Huelva, in 1881. In 1916, he left for America to marry Zenobia Camprubí and returned there after the outbreak of the Civil War. In 1956, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and two years later, he died in Puerto Rico.

His work was characterized by the pursuit of perfection, an ideal common to the different stages of his literary production. The author defined these cycles as:

• The sensitive stage
• The intellectual stage
• The sufficient or true stage