Generación del 14 o Novecentismo: características y autores literarios

The Generation of '14: Literature After the Generation of '98, and just before the explosion of the avant-garde movements, the so-called Generation of '14 or Noucentisme movement emerged in Spain. This generation owes its name to the Spanish educator Lorenzo Luzuriaga, who coined the term in a 1947 review of the works of Ortega y Gasset. In 1914, the First World War broke out. Although Spain did not participate in the conflict, it was directly affected by it, causing intellectuals to take sides. This year also coincided with the publication of Meditations on Don Quixote by Ortega, the philosopher and undisputed leader of the Generation. Although some consider the concept of a generation to be dubious, there does seem to be a certain consensus among critics in attributing this classification to it. The Generation of '14 is made up of a wide range of intellectuals born around 1880 who began to take their first steps as writers at the beginning of the century. Although they are not immune to the influences of the Generation of '98 and Modernism, their references must be found in authors such as Verlaine, Bergson, Dilthey, Sorel, Freud, and Nietzsche. The main members from a literary perspective are Gabriel Miró, Ramón Gómez de la Serna, Wenceslao Fernández Flórez, and Ramón Pérez de Ayala. Also included, although they go beyond the literary, are Manuel Azaña, Ortega y Gasset, and Gregorio Marañón. Some critics point out that Juan Ramón Jiménez also belonged to this generation, but we will discuss this in more detail in a separate chapter. The characteristics of the Generation of '14 are: Solid intellectual formation, with a predominance of rationality and the creation of systematized proposals of thought. Predominance of the city over the ruralism of the Generation of '98. Concern for the situation in Spain and awareness of the need to Europeanize it through participation in political life, especially through republican stances and a rejection of the Restoration. Artistic aestheticism and the dehumanization of art. Return to classical models from an aesthetic perspective, reacting against the sentimentalism of the previous century. Predominance of form and elitism, hence the exhaustive care of language and art for the vast minority. Optimism versus the pessimism of the 19th century and the Generation of '98. Now entering fully into literature, we find Gabriel Miró, a novelist who reached profound heights of lyricism, especially by fostering a taste for capturing sensory perceptions and the search for formal beauty. Among his works, we highlight The Leper Bishop and Our Father Saint Daniel. Ramón Pérez de Ayala is the foremost exponent of the intellectual novel, heavily utilizing perspectivism. His work also highlights irony and his ability to capture the cultured and the popular. Among his extensive output, we can highlight Belarmino y Apolonio and Alberto Díaz de Guzmán's tetralogy: Tinieblas en las cumbres, A.M.D.G., La pata de la raposa, and Troteras y Danzaderas. Although Ramón Gómez de la Serna is best known for his famous greguerías (which we have already seen in previous programs), his output goes much further, becoming, thanks to his personality, an absolute reference for future generations. His novels El Torero Caracho and El Caballero del hongo gris (The Bullfighter Caracho) are particularly noteworthy. Wenceslao Fernández Florez dedicated his life to journalism and literature, both critical and creative. Among his works, we can mention Volvoreta and El Secreto de Barba Azul (The Secret of Bluebeard). Of Juan Ramón Jiménez, we can highlight his three stages: the sensitive, the intellectual, and the sufficient. Among his works are Platero y Yo, Diary of a Newly Married Poet, La Soledad Sonora, Eternidades, Piedra y Cielo, and Dios deseo y deseante. So, friends, this concludes our review of the Generation of '14, a generation of thinkers and intellectuals who revolutionized Spanish thought and laid the foundations for the development of the Generation of '27 and the future of Hispanic literature. If you enjoyed our program, leave us a like, subscribe to our channel, comment, and share.