What are they and what are the literary currents
Literary currents are understood to mean sets of literary works that are created during a given period and share a series of common characteristics such as style, themes, aesthetics and ideologies.
In literary currents, the various authors also stand out, since they expose a series of social, political and cultural realities and criticisms that respond to a place and moment in the history of humanity.
In literary currents, authors are also grouped that, together, they recognize among themselves a series of opinions and feelings shared and expressed through writing.
Even, as has been seen in some cases, there are movements that have written their own manifestos in order to establish the principles of a particular literary movement.
It is worth mentioning, on the other hand, that literary currents coincide, in turn, with other artistic expressionsas well as painting or music, in which you can also find various movements that are distinguished by reflecting a particular period.
See also: Literature and The 7 characteristics that define literature.
Timeline of literary currents
The main literary currents are presented below in chronological order.
Greek literature
Greek literature spans from the 4th century BC to the 4th century AD. In this period, the most important literary works of Western culture were produced, telling religious stories of gods, demigods and fantastic feats.
Among them can be mentioned The Iliadby Homer The Aeneidby Virgil, among others.
See also: Greek literature.
Middle Ages
It covers from the 5th century AD to the 14th century AD, whose literary works recount the exploits of knights and the various confrontations and wars after the conquests and losses of territories, especially during the crusades. It reflects a time of darkness. Among the most notable authors is Dante Alighieri with his work The Divine Comedy.
See also Medieval Literature.
Renaissance
The Renaissance occurred during the 15th century and the end of the 16th century. It is characterized by placing man as the central theme, as well as by representing idealizing and capturing reality.
Among the notable authors we can mention Garcilaso de la Vega, Nicolás Machiavelli and William Shakespeare.
Baroque
This literary movement developed in the 17th century, and during a time of general crisis that was reflected in artistic representations. It is characterized because the literary works contain confusing language, the central themes are death, religion or metaphysics, it presents paradoxes and contrasts.
Among the authors who stand out are Francisco de Quevedo, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Luis de Góngora, among others.
Neoclassicism
This current covers the 18th century, called “The Age of Enlightenment.” It was a time in which the taste for ancient spiritual, intellectual and artistic customs and aesthetics was rescued, just as the Greeks did. During neoclassicism, symmetry and careful literary elaboration prevailed.
The authors representing this current were Voltaire, Rousseau, Moliere, among others.
Romanticism
Romanticism was a movement that emerged in Germany between the 18th and 19th centuries. It was characterized by the predominance of feeling over reason, originality and fantasy, admiration for nature, as well as the exaltation of the “I.” Among its main exponents are Victor Hugo, Edgar Allan Poe, among others.
See also Romanticism.
Realism
It was a literary movement that emerged in the second half of the 19th century in France. It is characterized by demonstrating what is plausible and being based on the observation and description of reality, therefore it reacted to romanticism.
Among the most notable authors we can mention Leo Tolstoy, Gustave Flaubert, Fedor Dostoevsky, among others.
See also: Literary realism and Realism.
Modernism
It emerged in America at the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century and does not imitate any previous current. It was characterized by exposing a large number of symbols and images, using inelegant language, rejecting everyday life and the search for perfection.
Among the authors of this current we can mention Rubén Darío, Amado Nervo, José Martí, among others.
Avant-garde
The avant-garde literary trend emerged between the processes of the First World War and the Second World War in the 20th century, in Europe and later in America. This current is characterized by containing images of great feeling and originality.
The literary works and artists of this current are the result of a critical historical moment that awakened the search for the spirit of freedom, as well as rejected previous rhetorical formulas.
Avant-garde explores and exposes the irrational. Among its authors we can mention Gabriel García Márquez, César Vallejo, André Bretón, Frank Kafka, among others.
See also Avant-garde and Surrealism.
contemporary literature
This current covers the second half of the 20th century until the present. This literature is characterized by exposing an agile narrative style, expressing emotions, raising questions, mixing the real with the magical.
Among the notable authors are Jean-Paul Sartre, Jorge Luis Borges, Mario Vargas Llosa, among many others.
See also Dramatic