Parnassianism is a literary movement that emerged at the same time as Realism and Naturalism, at the end of the 19th century. With classical influence and tradition, it has its origins in France.
Your name comes from Contemporary Parnase, anthologies published in Paris from 1866 onwards. Parnassus is the name of the mountain dedicated to Apollo and the muses of poetry in Greek mythology.
In 1882, Fanfarras, by Teófilo Dias, is the work that inaugurates Brazilian Parnassianism, a movement that continued until the Week of Modern Art, in 1922.
With an anti-romantic stance, Parnassianism is based on the cult of form, impassibility and impersonality, universalist poetry and rationalism.
Parnassian authors criticized the simplicity of language, the appreciation of the national landscape and sentimentality. For them, this was a way to subjugate the values of poetry.
The innovative proposal was a poetry of refined language, rational and perfect from a formal point of view. They believed that, if they were supported by the classical model, they could counteract the exaggerations and the typical fantasy of the Romanticism literary movement.
After Parnassianism, Symbolism was followed, a movement that exalts subjective reality and denies the reason explored by Parnassians.
Characteristics of Parnassianism
Parnassians are aesthetically detailed. When concerned with form, they value cultured vocabulary, sonnets, as well as rare rhymes.
Also strikingly, the themes of classical antiquity are observed in this literary school, whose authors are realistic and objectives and show things as they are presented, that is, descriptively and without lyricism, or with exaltation of feelings too much vacancy. That's because they understand that art is already beautiful, so it doesn't need to be explained, because it's worth it.
Many characteristics of Parnassianism are present in Realism. Note, however, that in Parnassianism only poetry was created, there is no Parnassian prose.
In summary, the characteristics of Parnassianism are:
- Idealization of art through art
- Pursuit of formal perfection
- Sonnet preference
- Preference for description
- rare rhymes
- learned vocabulary
- objectivism
- Rationalism
- universalism
- Attachment to classic tradition
- Taste for Greco-Latin Mythology
- rejection of lyricism
read Characteristics of Parnassianism.
Historical context
The fact that Parnassians interpret the world in a scientific and positivist way results from the period in which he was inserted, a time of many inventions and advances that brought changes not only to the economy, but that transformed the mentality of people.
This is because the valuation of science breaks with subjectivism, a mark of the previous literary school, Romanticism.
Authors of Parnassianism in Brazil
The main authors of Parnassianism in Brazil were olavo bilac (1865-1918), Raimundo Corrêa (1859-1911) and Alberto de Oliveira (1857-1937). The three formed the call parnassian triad.
In addition to them, other authors are also noteworthy: Augusto de Lima (1859-1937), Bernardino Lopes (1859-1916), Fontoura Xavier (1856-1922), Francisca Júlia (1871-1920) and Múcio Teixeira (1857-1926).
read Authors of Parnassianism in Brazil.
Authors of Parnassianism in Portugal
Although it was more representative in Brazil, some authors stand out in Parnassianism in Portugal. Examples are: António Feijó (1859-1917), Cesário Verde (1855-1886), Gonçalves Crespo (1846-1883) and João Penha (1838-1919).
read Parnassianism in Portugal.
Complete your research by reading also:
- Parnassian Poetry
- Parnassianism in Brazil
- Parnassianism and Symbolism
- Exercises on Parnassianism
- Realism in Brazil
