Modernism in Spanish literature (late 19th century – early 20th century)

What period of literature are you referring to? : Modernism in Spanish literature (late 19th century – early 20th century)

Modernism was born in America and was quickly introduced in Spain by the Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío, whose book Azul (1888) marked the beginning of a total renovation of literature for Spanish poetry.

This renewal of literature brought with it a renewal of literary language . Cultisms and exotic words chosen for their sound are incorporated, musicality is sought through the use of rhythmic resources (anaphoras, alliterations, parallels) and classic stanzas such as the sonnet are recovered, modifying the type or number of verses. In poetry the preferred meter was the Alexandrian, along with the eneasyllable and the dodecasyllable.

In modernist works the influence of:

• The French poetry : Victor Hugo remains a reference for writers of the time.
• The parnasianismo: proclaims the cult of formal perfection and an ideal of serene poetry, balanced and evokes Greek myths, oriental and exotic environments.
• The symbolism: Baudelaire, Verlaine, Rimbaud … For them the sensible world is a reflection of hidden realities and the poet’s mission is to discover them.
• The Spanish poetry influence of Gonzalo de Berceo, Jorge Manrique, cancioneril poetry and Gustavo Adolfo Becquer.

What literary genres were cultivated?

Narrative and poetry were the most developed genres during modernism, especially the latter.

Main works and most representative authors

The undisputed author of this time is Rubén Darío, with his works Azul, Prosas profanas and Cantos de vida y esperanza. 

Due to the influence of this author and the rapid establishment of the modernist current in Spain, the names of the now well-known Spanish writers would soon stand out:

• Manuel Machado
• Francisco Villaespesa
• Juan Ramón Jiménez: Elegías, La Soledad Sonora, Labyrinth
• Eduardo Marquina
• Antonio Machado: Campos de Castilla y Soledades, galleries and other poems Modernism in Spanish literature (late 19th century – early 20th century)