The failure of the liberal revolutions at the end of the 18th century produced a deep malaise in the intelligentsia and an approach to escapist positions, in rejection of the mediocrity that surrounds them. In Spain, feelings of social renewal are channeled through the Institución Libre de Enseñanza, founded by Julián Sanz del Río. In it, a practical and active pedagogy was introduced for the first time, which broke the traditional teacher-student scheme. At the center, reason is valued above all else, while at the same time considering consciousness as the engine of all human activities. In short, it is about promoting tolerance to obtain social harmony.

This institution will be of paramount importance in the development of talent in all areas of Spanish culture, from science and the figurative arts to philosophy and, of course, in literature. Today world-renowned students will pass through its classrooms, Alberti, García Lorca, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Ortega y Gasset, Unamuno, Dalí, among many others. That is why the renewal that occurs in the literature of the nineteenth century cannot be understood without making a reference to the principles that this institution successfully instilled in its students. They will be in charge of criticizing in their literary writings the political evils that haunted the country, many of which have their origin in radical economic and cultural differences of the Spanish people. They all share a sincere interest in the regeneration of the country and will go down in history together as the Generation of 1914.

Spanish Bites

About

Book Club

Library

Premium

The literary revival of the XIX century

The Institución Libre de Enseñanza and the Generation of 1914

Spanish Bites

External Resources

Maria