MODERNISM
Origins
-
Started roughly in 1880s – various poets went
into individually, mass entrance into more experimental form
-
First movement that is purely Latin American
(although with European influence)
-
Influenced by Parnassianism & Symbolism
(France)
Context
-
Written expression of the spiritual and literary
crisis at the end of the 19th century
-
Centered on POETRY, but there are other works
that are influenced by modernist ideals (ex: Ariel [Rodó, 1900] and De
sobremesa [Silva, 1926])
Characteristics
-
Themes
o
Themes of modernism focus on loneliness,
sensuality, love, eroticism, all of which are expressed in the idealization
(and objectification) of women – women are seen as objects of beauty
o
Openness to sexuality and eroticism
o
Fascination with the exotic (lingering romantic
influence?)
-
Techniques
o
Symbolism
o
Experimental: play with form and word
connotations
o
Idea of language as a tool
o
Use of a sonorous, musical language (remember:
beauty!)
o
References to the exotic
o
Frequent imagery (swans, superficially beautiful
aspects of nature)
-
Beliefs / ideals
o
Spiritual tendency (questioning the idea of a
God that they don’t quite believe in but also can’t let go of)
o
Search for [superficial] beauty (aesthetic
movement, for the most part)
o
Elitist
-
Escapist literature
o
Interest in the exotic
o
Very cosmopolitan, rather than regional – not
generally unique/specific to the Latin American condition
Poets:
-
Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera (México)
o
Heavy French influence, was an early part of /
precursor to modernist movement
o
“Para entonces” – talks about the way he wants
to die, alone, surrounded by nature’s beauty
§
Romantic influence: Somewhat darker theme, idea
of death alone
§
Modernist influence: importance of beauty
o
“La duquesa Job” – describes a beautiful woman
§
Modernism: idealization and objectification of
woman as object of beauty, beauty according to European standards
(exoticism/escapism)
-
Julián de Casal (Cuba)
o
Heavy French influence, was an early part of /
precursor to modernist movement
o
Often very dark style and themes
o
“A la belleza” – describes poet’s endless (and
fruitless) search for beauty
§
Modernist influence: search for beauty, focus on
beauty
§ “Yo sé que eres más blanca que los cisnes”
-
Ruben
Darío (Nicaragua)
o
Considered the “father” of modernism (because he
put a name to the movement)
o
“Era
un aire suave” (Prosas profanas)
§
This poem is representative of Darío’s earlier
modernism
§
Summary: The poem starts with a very vague sense
of what’s going on, we gradually find out more (there are people there, Eulalia
is one of them) and eventually learn that it’s a night at a party in 18th
century France, where the marquess Eulalia is flirting with men and seducing
them with her laughter.
§
Modernism: decadent imagery (reminiscent of
parnassianism), symbolic use of colors, musicality, idealized/superficial
vision of woman
o
“Yo soy aquel…” (Cantos)
§
Darío’s later modernism
§
Summary: First half is voice of younger Darío,
talking about how he used to write, with metaphor of garden. Second half
indicates changes in style, evolution, with metaphor of jungle and emphasis on
artistic passion.
§
Modernism: interest in how to write and role of poet, sensuality (appeals to senses),
imagery (swan), equal half-and-half split (desire for balance/equilibrium)
o
“A Roosevelt” (Cantos)
§
Later modernism, political influence (written
after U.S. takes over Panama Canal)
§
Criticism of U.S. (reminiscent of Rodó’s Ariel)
-
José Martí
(Cuba)
o
“Si
ves un monte de espuma” (Versos sencillos)
§
Summary: If you see a mountain of foam, you are
seeing my verse. It’s brief and sincere.
§
Modernism: explores role of poet and how you
should write poetry
o
“Mis versos” (Introduction) (Versos libres)
§
Summary: Speaks of his inspiration as a poet.
Says that his verses come from the heart, that they’re expressions of his
feelings and emotions (not calculated).
§
Modernism: explores role of poet and how you
should write poetry
VANGUARDIA / AVANT-GARDE (Creationism, Surrealism, Negrismo)
-
After modernism started to fizzle out, early 20th
century
-
Influenced by a variety of French/European
movements (especially surrealism)
Context
-
Modernismo had been a renovation of poetic form
and techniques, extending to the use of free verse. But, on the whole, the
experiments remained within accepted and traditional prosodic molds. The vanguardia,
on the other hand, instituted a radical search for new, daring, confrontational
themes and shockingly novel forms.
-
Tons of little movements (all the –isms) -----
very hybrid form, focus on experimentation and pushing the limits
Creationism (Huidobro)
-
Origins: ~1912-1916; French influence, pretty
much only Huidobro
-
Characteristics
o
Play with connotations and polysemy (plurality
of meaning)
o
Requires very active reader
o
Internal
logic – autonomy (freedom, independent stance) of literary work [“la obra tiene
en sí su propia razón para ser”]
o
“concretar
lo abstracto o abstraer lo concreto”
o
Criticism of institutions (such as traditional
poetry, religious beliefs, etc.) and of morals and logic of conventional
society – idea that the human being as an individual creates/directs his own
life rather than having to be guided by
institutional authorities (such as Christian God)
o
Typographical disposition of the words
o
Use of neologisms (new, invented words)
-
Altazor (1931)
Surrealism
-
Origins:
France (André Breton’s manifestos in 1924 and 1930)
-
Characteristics:
o
Exploration
of dreams and memory
o
Exploration of subconscious (conscious vs.
subconscious, reality vs. dream)
o
Creation of alternative reality (“surreality”)
-
Prose examples:
o
María
Luisa Bombal (La última niebla – 1935,
“El árbol” – 1939)
o
Cortázar
(1950s)
-
César
Vallejo (Perú) – Trilce (1922)
o
“XVIII” – “Oh las cuatro paredes de la celda”
-
Pablo Neruda (Chile) – was influenced by
surrealism at some points
Negrismo
-
Nicolás
Guillén (Cuba) – Sóngoro cosongo
(1931), West Indies, Ltd. (1934)
o
Known for negrismo (imitation of African
dialect)
o
“Mi chiquita”
§
Summary: Poetic yo praises his girlfriend/wife
in somewhat machista way. Imitates “black” colloquial language.
§
Interest in African culture and orality
MISCELLANEOUS POETS OF AVANT-GARDE AND 20TH CENTURY IN
GENERAL
-
Delmira Agustini (Uruguay, 1886-1914)
o
Influenced by both modernism and romanticism
o
“El intruso”
§
Summary: poem about relationship with her lover,
very happy
§
Romanticism: emotional, passionate, nighttime
setting (the night was tragic before you arrived)
§
Modernism: eroticism, sensuality, some experimentation
with imagery/description (“tu olor de primavera”
o
“Las alas”
§
Summary: Memory of when she had wings and was
surrounded by beauty, but when she awoke her wings were gone.
§
Romanticism: negativity (wings disappeared)
§
Modernism: somewhat experimental, reminiscent of
surrealism in the play with dream vs. reality
-
Alfonsina Storni (Argentina, 1892-1938)
o
Influenced by both modernism and vanguardia
o
Some feminist themes in her poetry
-
César
Vallejo (Perú) – “Los heraldos negros” (1918)
o
Summary: Laments the tough aspects of life,
pondering if they are due to God’s hatred
o
Demonstrates romantic and modernist influence
§
Romantic: negativity, dramatic, pessimistic,
emphasis on the voice of the “yo”
§
Modernist: some experimentation with form
-
Gabriela Mistral (Chile, 1889-1957)
o
Frequent theme of love, idea of both pleasure
and pain inherent in love
o
Also
theme of death (“Sonetos de la muerte”, “La desvelada”)
-
Pablo
Neruda (Chile, 1904-1973)
o
Various
stages in his poetry
§ La influencia modernista y una actitud neo-romántica
·
Musicalidad y
sencillez con la expresión de los sentimientos
§ Influencia del surrealismo
§ La vanguardia (pero más española)
§ El regreso al intimismo
o
“Poema
20” (1924)
§
Summary: has lost a woman’s love
Play with temporality, idealization of the
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