Mexican Revolution Literature
Encyclopedia
There is a wide range of ways in which people have represented the Mexican Revolution in popular culture. One of the most influential pioneers in this new philosophy of Mexican identity was Samuel Ramos
who acknowledged Ortega
for his influence of emphasizing the understanding of man in his concrete historical circumstances. In his book, Profile of man and Culture in Mexico, Ramos tried to develop a psychoanalysis
of Mexican
character. He felt Mexican problems were the result of imitating Europe
an models without being able to overcome the legacy of revolutions, dictatorships and economic stagnation
. He felt that Mexican history was the expression of a collective inferiority complex stemming from the results of the Spanish Conquest, racial mixture and a disadvantageous geographical position. He believed that in hiding their inferiority, Mexicans had resorted to unhealthy compensations including aggressive assertions of power that have isolated Mexicans from one another and prevented the attainment of a sense of community. The solution Ramos proposed to this problem was a greater self-consciousness of a uniquely Mexican identity and the need for an education system with a humanistic orientation that would counter the materialistic civilization stemming from North American influence. Even though Ramos was an intellectual literary leader, in the effort to develop a national philosophy more effectively geared to Mexican circumstances, he was vulnerable to the accusations that he was attached to a type of utopian thinking. He was accused of not being able to bridge the gap between the values to which he was attached and the concrete political-economic circumstances of Mexican society. Octavio Paz
carried on Ramos’ psychoanalytic approach but developed it in a closer relationship to the concrete realities of Mexican historical developments and its contemporary economic-political problems. Paz is also influential because he emphasizes context of Latin American and Third World
political development.
The paragraphs thus far have described the history and development of the new paths and ideas that influenced the literature produced during the Revolution but here is a look at poetry specifically. The first decade of the Mexican Revolution
put an end to the years of "peace" that the country was used to during the Diaz
dictatorship. The turbulent political decade that followed the Diaz reign showed little cultural activity according to David Foster.
But the revolutionary events did have some impact on literature
and the plastic arts. Some poets like Nervo
, never showed the conflict of the times in his poetry. But other poets like Tablada
, Enrique González Martínez
, and Ramón López Velarde
who produced during this period between modernism
and the vanguardia
movement have been credited as the major figures who contributed to the development of twentieth-century poetry in Mexico. In 1911, Enrique González Martínez
published "Tuercele el cuello al cisne" (Wring the Neck of the Swan) written in 1910 which called for a change to the new image and a new language. In Dario
's "Cantos de vida y esperanza" (Songs of Life and Hope) he writes without breaking with past but returns to society and expresses concern with political events.
Samuel Ramos
Dr. Samuel Ramos was a Mexican philosopher and writer.Ramos was born in Zitácuaro, Michoacán, and in 1909 entered the Colegio de San Nicolás in Hidalgo. He published his first works in the school's student publication Flor de Loto...
who acknowledged Ortega
Ortega
Ortega is a Spanish surname. In the 9th century a Saint Raymundo Ortega of Bejar was recorded to be in Salamanca, Spain. A baptismal record in 1570 records a de Ortega "from the village of Ortega". There were several villages of this name in Spain...
for his influence of emphasizing the understanding of man in his concrete historical circumstances. In his book, Profile of man and Culture in Mexico, Ramos tried to develop a psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
of Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
character. He felt Mexican problems were the result of imitating Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an models without being able to overcome the legacy of revolutions, dictatorships and economic stagnation
Economic stagnation
Economic stagnation or economic immobilism, often called simply stagnation or immobilism, is a prolonged period of slow economic growth , usually accompanied by high unemployment. Under some definitions, "slow" means significantly slower than potential growth as estimated by experts in macroeconomics...
. He felt that Mexican history was the expression of a collective inferiority complex stemming from the results of the Spanish Conquest, racial mixture and a disadvantageous geographical position. He believed that in hiding their inferiority, Mexicans had resorted to unhealthy compensations including aggressive assertions of power that have isolated Mexicans from one another and prevented the attainment of a sense of community. The solution Ramos proposed to this problem was a greater self-consciousness of a uniquely Mexican identity and the need for an education system with a humanistic orientation that would counter the materialistic civilization stemming from North American influence. Even though Ramos was an intellectual literary leader, in the effort to develop a national philosophy more effectively geared to Mexican circumstances, he was vulnerable to the accusations that he was attached to a type of utopian thinking. He was accused of not being able to bridge the gap between the values to which he was attached and the concrete political-economic circumstances of Mexican society. Octavio Paz
Octavio Paz
Octavio Paz Lozano was a Mexican writer, poet, and diplomat, and the winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature.-Early life and writings:...
carried on Ramos’ psychoanalytic approach but developed it in a closer relationship to the concrete realities of Mexican historical developments and its contemporary economic-political problems. Paz is also influential because he emphasizes context of Latin American and Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
political development.
The paragraphs thus far have described the history and development of the new paths and ideas that influenced the literature produced during the Revolution but here is a look at poetry specifically. The first decade of the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
put an end to the years of "peace" that the country was used to during the Diaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
dictatorship. The turbulent political decade that followed the Diaz reign showed little cultural activity according to David Foster.
But the revolutionary events did have some impact on literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and the plastic arts. Some poets like Nervo
Amado Nervo
Amado Nervo also known as Juan Crisóstomo Ruiz de Nervo was the Mexican Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay, journalist, poet, and educator. His poetry was known for its use of metaphor and reference to mysticism, presenting both love and religion, as well as Christianity and Hinduism...
, never showed the conflict of the times in his poetry. But other poets like Tablada
José Juan Tablada
José Juan Tablada was a Mexican poet, art critic, and diplomat. Traveled briefly in Japan and later translated and wrote haiku, introducing the poetic form to Spanish language readers.-External links:*-Sources:...
, Enrique González Martínez
Enrique González Martínez
Enrique González Martínez was a Mexican poet, diplomat, surgeon and obstetrician. His poetry is considered to be primarily Modernist in nature, with elements of French symbolism....
, and Ramón López Velarde
Ramón López Velarde
Ramón López Velarde was aMexican poet. His work is generally considered to be postmodern, but is unique for its subject matter. He achieved great fame in his native land, to the point of being considered Mexico's national poet....
who produced during this period between modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
and the vanguardia
Vanguardism
In the context of revolutionary struggle, vanguardism is a strategy whereby an organization attempts to place itself at the center of the movement, and steer it in a direction consistent with its ideology....
movement have been credited as the major figures who contributed to the development of twentieth-century poetry in Mexico. In 1911, Enrique González Martínez
Enrique González Martínez
Enrique González Martínez was a Mexican poet, diplomat, surgeon and obstetrician. His poetry is considered to be primarily Modernist in nature, with elements of French symbolism....
published "Tuercele el cuello al cisne" (Wring the Neck of the Swan) written in 1910 which called for a change to the new image and a new language. In Dario
Rubén Darío
Félix Rubén García Sarmiento , known as Rubén Darío, was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-American literary movement known as modernismo that flourished at the end of the 19th century...
's "Cantos de vida y esperanza" (Songs of Life and Hope) he writes without breaking with past but returns to society and expresses concern with political events.