SUMMARY of the GENERATION of 98: context + 6 characteristics

At the end of the XIX a group of intellectuals and writers who defended a type of literature more current and adapted to the times that were lived. The country was experiencing a strong social and economic crisis, something that greatly affected society and also culture. This group is known as the Generation of '98 and includes such prominent writers as Valle-Inclán, Unamuno or Antonio Machado; together, they managed to renew literature and bet on a type of literary creation far removed from modern preciousness and more linked to denunciation and social criticism. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to do a summary of the Generation of 98 and its most important characteristics, so that you can know everything that happened around this fateful year in Spanish history.

Index

1. Definition of Generation '98
2. Historical context of the Generation of '98
3. 6 characteristics of the Generation of '98

To understand what the Generation of '98 was, it is important that we stop at the definition that has been given to this group of artists. This is the name with which a great variety of literati among which are included both writers, poets or essayists.

They are united in the same group because, although they have great stylistic differences, they shared the same sociopolitical context that created a great crisis in the country. Let us not forget that in 98 an event occurred in Spain that, in fact, was baptized with the name of Disaster of 98and that led to the loss of the last Spanish colonies: Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Philippines and Guam.

Authors that are usually included within the Generation of '98 they were born between the year 1864 and 1876; they were heirs of the current literary Modernism and they promoted a new trend that was baptized as "regenerationism" which, as its name indicates, sought to regenerate the arts and literature created in the country.

The Generation of '98 begins with the Group of three, a group of literati formed by Pío Baroja, Azorín and Maeztu. These authors began to cultivate a type of literature much more critical and with a left-wing ideology. Although they denied that a new generation was being born, Pedro Salinas affirmed it after having carried out a large amount of analysis and studies. It was in 1935 when he baptized that period of our history as Generation of '98, in an article that was published in Revista de Occidente.

Since then, literary studies do consider that the Generation of 98 existed, which was composed of featured authors Y women writers very important for the future of our lyrics.

The historical context of the Generation of '98 is of great importance because it greatly marked the writers of the moment. Between 1876 and 1898 in Spain there was a creative period of very low brilliance. The reason is that the country was mired in a strong crisis which ended with the loss of the colonies in 98, a revolution known as The Glorious.

The literary trend that was most successful at the time was the Realism and it was stranded and corrupted by the political life of the country. The authors who would later swell the ranks of that generation were ideologically being formed by the september revolution, a movement that defended the reform of society and that returned to trust the programs of some political parties that wanted to unravel the situation of stagnation and crisis in which they found. On this basis, the authors of the generation reached a very similar conclusion: it was important to find spaces of thought that were separate from the political life of the country.

In 1876, Francisco Giner de los Ríos founded the Institución Libre de Enseñanza, an organization that intended to offer free studies away from the politics of the moment. It was an act that meant a repudiation of the official studies for their ineffectiveness and for their political partisanship. From that moment, the writers of Generación del 98 began to consider aspects about the identity of Spain and oriented their writings and texts to know the reality of the country and its people.

One of the great masters in offering us a vision of the Spain of the time was Valle-Inclán, creator of literary grotesque. This author managed to capture the reality of the country in a somewhat exaggerated way, but that visceral what life was like at the time: a reality that moved between tragedy and comedy in parts equal.

To conclude this summary of the Generation of '98, we are going to stop and learn about the most outstanding characteristics of the texts of the time. As we have commented, the literati were above all united by the political context of the moment, but They also shared the same desire to regenerate society and to find the authentic identity of the country.

Next, we are going to discover you the main characteristics of the Generation of '98 So that, thus, you know the elements that the authors of said literary group shared:

1. Concern for the identity of Spain. The literati were really concerned with knowing what being Spanish really entailed. This debate began with these members, but spread to other generations who continued to search for the personality and essence of the country.
2. Interest in the rural environment. We must not forget that many of the authors of the Generation of 98 were also heirs of Modernism and, therefore, lovers of the simple life and beauty. In this sense, you should know that the authors of the generation used to be interested in the peoples of Castile, the landscape, the traditional language... A reunion with the most traditional Spain that helped them understand their origins.
3. Popular tradition. Their interest in the Spanish character made the authors turn to Spanish myths or romanceros, in this way they could better understand the Spanish personality and identity.
4. Renewal of literary genres. Another characteristic of the Generation of '98 is that they sought to regenerate the country and, for this, they had to regenerate the artistic instruments. This is what they did with the literary genres in which, in fact, Unamuno even presented the "nivola", a new way of making a novel (Fog); Baroja opted for open novels and Valle-Inclán, as we have already mentioned, created the grotesque.
5. Anti-realism. Members of that generation totally rejected the aesthetics of Realism. They bet on texts closer to the reality of the street, with shorter sentences and with everyday and traditional words. In addition, they take a step forward to overcome objectivity and create more subjective works that pass through the filter of the "creative self".
6. Pessimistic attitude. Another characteristic of the Generation of '98 is that, due to the social context in which the authors found themselves, their attitude was pessimistic and with a critical vision of reality.

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