Understanding Modernism and the Esperpento Style
Modernism: Art for Art's Sake
Modernism is a literary movement that defends art for art's sake, whose sole purpose is to celebrate beauty and move the reader. It manifests itself mainly through poetry.
Key Characteristics for Modernist Writers
- Their imagination runs away from the everyday and takes refuge in classical mythology, legends, and fairy tales.
- They are fascinated by spiritualism and the occult.
- They praise prostitutes and other marginalized groups, who were companions of their bohemian life.
- For the modernists, poetry is mostly music.
- They intend to convey feelings and sensations.
The Generation of '98 and Social Criticism
The Generation of '98 is a group of writers that takes its name from the year of the Spanish colonial disaster. They use literature to criticize the current situation and propose new Spanish moral values. They practice poetry, novels, and essays.
Features of the Generation of '98
- They are interested in everyday life.
- They often use colloquial language that is very accurate.
- They critically reviewed the history of Spain and its literature.
- They consider the message to be more important than the form.
- They write for the reader to meditate on social issues and the meaning (or meaninglessness) of life.
Valle-Inclán and the Grotesque Esperpento
According to the Royal Spanish Academy, the "grotesque" (or esperpento) is indeed something grotesque and foolish. The term is used to designate a literary style created by Valle-Inclán. It is characterized by a grotesque deformation of reality, serving a critical intention toward society.
In Luces de Bohemia, Valle-Inclán writes: "The tragic sense of Spanish life can only be offered through a systematically distorted aesthetics." This technique is also used in the trilogy Martes de Carnaval (Mardi Gras).
Key Characteristics of the Esperpento
- Degradation and objectification: Characters are reduced to mere puppets.
- Animalization: The fusion of human and animal forms.
- Abuse of contrast: A mixture of the real world and nightmares.
- Ridicule: The appearance of ridicule and the caricature of reality.
- Death: The presence of death as a fundamental character.
The "scarecrow" or esperpento is a way to portray events and people in a specific light. This new style came from a famous theatrical bar in the "Alley of the Cat" (Callejón del Gato). On the façade, there were distorted mirrors that deformed the figures of people passing by. The transformation of reality could be fun or become a social mirror for critical review.
How to Comment on a Poem
1. Localization
- Author
- Era (Época)
- Literary Movement
- Work
2. Theme and Summary
3. Structure
- Internal: Refrains (estribillo), thematic blocks, etc.
- External: Metrics and rhyme.