Generation of '27: historical context

It is important to know the historical context of the Generation of '27 because this group of writers and artists shared different aesthetic and philosophical ideas that are related to the moment in which they lived. This movement took place in Spain in the years surrounding 1927 and was made up of personalities who were friends and who were part of the same group of intellectuals. Gerardo Diego, Jorge Guillén, Rafael Alberti or Federico García Lorca are just some of the names of the authors who were part of this generation. But to better understand the origin and characteristics of these creators, it is important that we understand the historical, social and artistic context in which they grew up. In a PROFESSOR we tell you!

Before beginning to know the historical context of the Generation of 27 it is important that we know the antecedents of the appearance of this generation; In this way, we will better understand the motivations behind this important group of artists and writers. The most outstanding background They are:

• Generation of '98. It is important to remember that, before the 27th, we met another important Spanish artistic generation: the Generation of '98. This group drank from the influence of Literary modernism and it had among its ranks such prominent personalities as Valle Inclán, the Machado brothers or Miguel de Unamuno. It was a movement characterized by its Europeanism and by its conception of art as something totally separate from the socio-political context.
• The Generation of 14 It was also the predecessor of the one we are dealing with here, a group of artists who are also known as "Noucentistas" and whose main exponent is Ortega y Gasset. These artists considered art as a playful and free medium, totally independent from society and with different regulations and aesthetics.
• Artistic avant-garde. All these groups of artists appear in a cultural moment in which there was a very forceful and liberating artistic movement: the vanguards. These artistic movements broke completely with the previous tradition by investigating new expressive techniques to create a new art adapted to the new century. Some of the most prominent avant-gardes were Surrealism, Dadaism, etc.

Knowing the historical context of the Generation of 27 is essential to understand the origin of these authors who shared political ideology and aesthetic interest. And it is that this group of artists (and friends) appeared after a series of political and social changes and for sharing a generalized disagreement with the literary currents that existed at the time. Experts usually agree that the beginning of the Generation of 27 is at a tribute that was made to Luis de Góngora in 1920 and that commemorated the 300 years of the death of the writer; From this meeting, they came together and began to create one of the highest quality literary productions in contemporary times.

The vast majority of the authors who are part of this generation were in the Student Residence and, in addition, they collaborate in similar publications (such as the magazine "Veros y Prosa" or "Litoral") and have an intellectual training Similary. They cultivate a style with a great personality and have a common goal: to renew the poetic language. Next we are going to analyze in detail the historical context of the Generation of 27 to know the origin of the aesthetics promoted by these authors:

• Reign of Alfonso XIII: In 1902 the reign of this monarch began, who will try to modernize the country and overcome the preceding crisis (a stage known as "disaster of '98"). The monarch will want to alleviate the existing imbalances in the country with measures designed to advance as a society.
• World War I: Another important point experienced by the authors of this generation is the outbreak and end of the Great War that took place between 1914 and 1918.
• Labor movement: At the beginning of the century we experienced important mobilizations in the labor sector in which the workers demanded job improvements.
• Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera: between the years 1923 and 30 in Spain the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera took place with a very conservative and retrograde sociopolitical proposal.
• Second Spanish Republic: in 1931 and until the outbreak of the Civil War, the Second Republic was established in Spain, characterized by achieve great social progress but, at the same time, due to instability and disagreements between the same partners Republicans.
• Start of the Civil War: Experts often call the murder of García Lorca the end of the Generation of '27, although other scholars indicate that the group dissolved as soon as the war began.

Social context of the Generation of 27

Within the history of the emergence of this generation of authors, it is also important to know how was the Spanish society of the time since, thus, we will better understand the literature of these artists. Above all, the following should be noted:

• Population growth: especially in urban centers. There was a wide abandonment of the fields and more rural life to bet on an urban and cosmopolitan life. Madrid and Barcelona become two very important cities in the Spain of the moment.
• Social tension: This situation arose due to the neutral position that the country adopted in World War I.
• Impoverishment of the working classes: the rise in prices and life in the city put the economy of the working class at risk and, therefore, important mobilizations took place.

Cultural context of the Generation of 27

We finish this review of the historical context of the Generation of 27 to talk about the state of culture at this time. It is important to bear in mind that we are in a period of boom in the world of letters and philosophy, therefore, we find very prominent artists who ended up being part of one of the most influential generations in the country. Here we leave you a summary of the cultural context so that you know the environment in which these intellectuals grew up:

• Free Institution of Education: the Second Republic created this important Spanish institution that promoted access to education both men as well as women, regardless of social class and thus making education available to everyone the world.
• Second Republic: During this period, Spain opened up to the world and society became a more progressive and pro-European society. This is the environment in which the literati grew and developed, with the idea of ​​a plural, inclusive Spain open to change.

Now that you know the historical context of the Generation of 27, we will end this lesson by mentioning some of the outstanding features of this generation and that allows us to better know the work and the movement that they carried out. They are as follows:

• Break with sentimentality: We must not forget that in the 19th century in Spain Romanticism and Modernism triumphed and, therefore, many authors continued with the sentimental trail in their texts. But the members of this generation wanted to completely break with this trend to bet on an intellectual and social literature more committed to the moment.
• Sociopolitical commitment: Due to the historical and social reality in which they lived, the members of this generation cultivated a type of literature that had strong social and political roots. They did not write just for aesthetic pleasure (as modernists did) but their goal was also to communicate and express their ideas. These authors bet on a more progressive country, open to Europe and a more egalitarian society.
• Literary progress: It is important to mention that the authors of this generation wanted to find new ways of making literature in order to renew this art. They had a progressive vision and, therefore, they insatiably searched for the best way to move forward and build an artistic identity more in line with their time. It is not a movement of break with tradition but of renewal.
• Influence of the vanguards: We also highlight that the Avant-garde movement was very present among the authors of that generation since it was totally aligned with its artistic objective, to renew and promote a different and modernized culture. This is why the authors bet on currents such as Impressionism, Surrealism, Expressionism, Futurism, etc., which denoted a new reality.
• Freedom when creating: the authors wanted to revolutionize art and, for this, they wanted to break with any rule or limitation when creating. They wanted to write without metric or stylistic formalities, only they, the creators, would put the limit to their work. The metaphor was one of the literary devices most used by the authors of this time since it managed to give greater depth to their texts without losing the poetic touch.
• View to the classicsWe have already commented that these authors did not want to break with tradition but rather to renew it; therefore, they looked at the classics of the Golden age like Góngora, Garcilaso or Lope de Vega to analyze their style and renew it. In this way, the literature would continue to be Spanish but with more modern and groundbreaking touches.