Literature in the contemporary period
Introduction
Characterizing contemporary literature, that is, from Franco’s death to today, it is a rather complicated process, since current authors are still writing and their production is in development. But there are also other important factors that affect the characterization of this period. The current literature is characterized by the great diversity of trends, subgenres and fashions that is mostly originated by the diversity of the authors. In this period the authors of several generations coexist: the post -war authors and the following decades continue to write.
The authors of the end of Francoism and the novel authors mature mature and the novel authors arise. In addition, thanks to the disappearance of censorship, literature is recovered in exile, the prohibited or before mutilated books are produced and the confluence of all currents and languages is possible. Consequently, there is a cultural exchange and contact with the outside world increases in a significant way. Another important factor that influences the diversity of contemporary literature is the increase in editorial production and literary consumption. The number of publishers grows.
Developing
The literature for the public begins to produce and the production of intellectual literature is reduced. Consequently, the supervent phenomenon occurs. Torecilla states that today many publishers prefer Bestseller strategies for the reason for being the most effective way to attract a wide number of readers and thus obtain more profits. Therefore, the weight of literature is lost in reflecting on reality and contemporary man and, consequently, literature acquires the goal of entertaining. From there also the proliferation of the literary awards that also form an integral part of the current literature also form.
Contemporary literature is characterized by great diversity in all its plans that has influence on the most produced literary genre of this period, the novel. Therefore, it is not easy to find conductive threads in the contemporary Spanish narrative.The current novel suffered many changes at the end of the last century. The most significant year of this period is the year 1975, since with the death of Franco and the next political change there has been a completely new situation in Spain. However, the transformation in the character of the novel has occurred before.
In the 60s new historical circumstances appear. Rather, the country experiences economic development, contacts are increased with abroad and censorship becomes more flexible. At the rise of this new stage, the arrival of the Spanish -American novel and the knowledge of the exiled authors also contributes. Readers begin to be tired of the social novel because of their constant criticism. The novel suffers a series of transformations in all its elements and new techniques are adopted. A new type of the novel appears, the structural novel, consequently followed by the rise of the experimental novel.
That is, the authors begin to recover the traditional elements of the narrative, they are dedicated in the investigation of the structure and language. As we have said before, the end of the dictatorship and the restoration of democracy open a new period for the Spanish novel. The disappearance of censorship, the approach of Spain to Europe, the editorial boom and the coexistence of several generations of authors cause that the Spanish novel experiences a significant boom in all its planes. Because of that the current novel is characterized by the coexistence of a diversity of subgenres and trends that allows a literature for mass consumption aimed at entertaining.
In the use of narrative techniques, it moves away from experimentalism, social realism and responds to the national circumstances of the present. Despite its departure from experimentalism, it renews the novelistic traditions of the twentieth century. The traditional story is in the third person, but sometimes there is the narrative in the first person, the inner monologue or the narration in the second person. Although the linearity of the story is typical, in some novels there is no lack of chronological disorder. The most present issues in the Spanish contemporary narrative generally deal with the political, economic, social and culture situation of current Spain.
Morales Ayllón states that the first years of democracy bring a rise from the political novel. Subsequently, the issues begin to diversify greatly and all narrative tendencies begin to be cultivated: intellectual, police, metanovela, science fiction, adventure, psychological, pink, espionage, lyric, historical, feminist, etc. Since the 80s, the typical intrigue and adventure novel is popularized by a direct agile style, the linear temporal line, dynamic dialogues and well -characterized characters. Due to the change in the logic of the publisher market caused by globalization and expansion.
Attention focuses on non -experimental fiction well elaborated with an ingenious story and thriller elements. In addition, the dissemination of the historical novel is noted, caused by the need of the authors to tell and clarify the history of Spain. Because of that, historical fiction becomes one of the best -selling genres. The known authors and linked to this period are, for example: Almudena Grande, Lucía Extebarria, Arturo Pérez-Reverte or others. At the end of the 80s and at the beginning of the 90s new generation of the authors appears, called generation X, with which the neo -repeated novel arrives at the Spanish market.
The production of this generation is affected above all by the economic recession not only in Spain, but also abroad, and for the beginning of the use of the Internet. The narrators of the 90s focus on the fictions that deal with the behavior of young people, their nightlife, the use and abuse of drugs, sex and alcohol. It is a fiction considered realistic, since it tells the daily life of young people, in which the authors completely reject Spanish literary traditions. The rupture with the previous generation is very remarkable and is caused by the ideological conflict.
The characteristics of this new type of the novel are: narration by the first person, replacement of linearity with disorder in the exposure and use of repetitive frequency. Likewise, the metafiction techniques and the game between reality and fiction resurface. From the end of the 90s Spain experiences the boom in terms of memories and debates related to the civil war. Labayi asserts that this situation is also reflected in Spanish literary production, since the production of a novel with the theme of the civil war grows greatly around the century.
In spite.Spanish novelists born in the 60s and 70s. Despite the great diversity of the subgenres and trends of the contemporary novel, the Spanish novelists born in the 60s and 70s of the previous century are classified as a particular generation that has common characteristics. Germán Gullón, a literary critic, writer, professor emeritus of Spanish literature
And member of the jury of the Nadal Prize in the years 2000-2016 and the Ciudad de Valladolid Award, characterizes the novelists of this generation in their publication in the Cervantes Virtual Library and describes seven characteristics that unite them. In this sub -chapter, relying on their statements, we will characterize the aforementioned generation of the novelists and describe their seven common characteristics. Gullón explains the fact that the authors born in these years differ from their predecessors for their different experiences. Franco’s civil war and dictatorship affected them in a diverse way than their predecessors.
In addition, they experienced the informative explosion of television media and, consequently, online. Another important factor is the change in the position and attitude of editorial houses, which began to surrender first of all to profits, that is, in entertainment literature. In other words, authors born in these decades live in a post -Frankist democracy, that is, they experience diverse vital conditions. This generation of the authors grew in the era of economic prosperity, full of positive achievements and signs.
Because of that, novelists and their characters have often vital attitudes of a developed and consumerist society. On the other hand, there are the authors who represent young people unhappy with the simple vital conditions who want to live life in a diverse way and avoid routine. In the second case, these are the neo -realist authors or members of generation X, criticized by critics and a part of the readorado, because of talking about the issues that give scandal. The first characteristic of this group that Gullón requires, speaks of the fame of novelists and literary awards.
While current novelists many times get immediate success, it was not unusual for an author to obtain success only after his death. Already the first novels of the current authors are reviewed in the press and win several literary awards. In the past, novelists had to publish more books to get success and earn money. Today, both the publishing house and the writer expect a success and instant gains. The second common feature is about the fact that current novelists have access to a broad library. Editorial houses in Spain expand their reach and produce not only Spanish works.
But also the works of the international level. Because of that, novelists have available a very wide sample of the novels that are reflected in their production in the amount of literary grafts used. The third feature deals with the change of character of the novel, caused by universal success of the debut novel and by the fact that books became a subordinate product to marketing strategies. The novel as a genre of maturity has become a genre of youth. Because of that, the issues are coming to the present and the current demands that we can see above all in the production of generation X.
In addition, we are in front of a paradoxical situation when critics talk about the shortage of literary works, and advertising, literary awards and the importance of profits exert a pressure to the novel to approach the commercial. Common people do not read the works of literary authors, so many their works go unnoticed. In his fourth characteristic Gullón states that these authors write with a conscience in freedom. Because of that, they can move from one subject to another without problems and fluently, and their narration is not influenced by social or personal obstacles.
The fifth characteristic of current novelists is the presence of personality fluidity. In other words, almost all of these authors, despite using different narrative techniques, present to the characters that are in a continuous transformation of their personality.Speaking of the sixth characteristic, the novelists of this generation often use humor, irony, parody and game in their novels. According to Gullón, these elements appear in a very high amount of the works, but some of these already border with the generation of the Neorealists, that is, generation X. The last characteristic mentioned refers to the dessert of the production of these authors.
conclusion
In other words, the values of the characters are not represented by values of the realistic world, such as the values of religion, family or others. Conversely, the authors present to the characters without judgments, through personal circumstances. There are an amount of the characters and everyone lives their life in a different way that does not have to be defined as fair or unfair. In other words, we are in a situation where there is no space for trial and values disappear. In addition, we can see some characters looking for their identity and develop throughout the story.
As for the last theme, the authors move the sentimental to the sexual, that is, the most important thing is not to love, but to enjoy love. Another important feature of the dessert of these authors is the presence of a third type of women, that is, an autonomous woman who is able to play the same papers as a man, and solve all the problems he has to face. In short, we can verify that, despite the numerous trends and techniques used and typical for contemporary novel production, current novelists, born in the 60s and 70s of the last century, have common characteristics and their production can be classified asThe production of a generation of authors.
Leave feedback