Spanish Modernism: Machado's Symbols and Unamuno's Philosophy

Literary Style and Symbolic Expression

The style is characterized by two features that give it a strong personality:

The Pursuit of Sobriety

A simple refinement the poet intended for the words to ensure all their expressiveness.

Symbols in Poetry

• Afternoon: The afternoon represents the time spent.
• The Traveler: This is the man who lives, feels, and wonders about the meaning of his existence as he moves along a path that represents his own life.
• Source: It symbolizes the desire to live.
• Spring: Sometimes it appears as a promise of the future; other times, it is a matter of regret to the poet. "I do recall the last time, the time of childhood and youth, and the loss forever."

Prose of the Generation of '98

Key figures include Miguel de Unamuno, Pío Baroja, and Azorín.

Miguel de Unamuno: Life and Legacy

Miguel de Unamuno tackled various genres, but his most representative work is marked by the novel and philosophical inquiry. Born in Bilbao in 1864 and died in 1936, he was a very committed individual who defended his ideas, even against himself. He spent his life fighting the lethargy of conscience and conformity. He served as a professor and dean of the University of Salamanca. His opposition to the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera led to his exile from 1924 to 1930.

He cultivated all literary genres: essays, novels, poetry, and drama. The essay was an essential vehicle of expression for him, as he spent much of his life addressing his philosophical and religious concerns.

Philosophical and Religious Essays

His essays are divided into two main groups:

History and Intra-history

Meditation on the past and present led Unamuno to ask what endures for the human being after the passage of time. He wrote works centered on traditionalism and the Life of Don Quixote and Sancho. In the latter, he addresses the issue of Spain, understanding Cervantes' work as the essence of Spanish reality. By analyzing the daily lives of unknown citizens, he coined the concept of intra-history (the story within the story).

Religion and the Longing for Immortality

Unamuno was deeply concerned about the meaning of life and the question of immortality: "What is this immortality?" The longing for eternity is what defines the human being. These approaches are found in two major works: The Tragic Sense of Life and The Agony of Christianity, which are profound essays on religious themes.