Modernismo

The term modernismo specifically refers to the literary movement that took place primarily in poetry.

Modernismo, in its simplest form, is finding the beauty and advances within the language and rhythm of literary works.Other notable exponents are Leopoldo Lugones, Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera, José Asunción Silva, Julio Herrera y Reissig, Julián del Casal, Manuel González Prada, Aurora Cáceres, Delmira Agustini, Manuel Díaz Rodríguez and José Martí.

Inner passions, visions, harmonies and rhythms are expressed in a rich, highly stylized verbal music.

This movement was of great influence in the whole Hispanic world (including the Philippines), finding a temporary vogue also among the Generation of '98 in Spain, which posited various reactions to its perceived aestheticism.

Darío's idea of modernistic poems was rejected by poets following World War I because many considered it outdated and too heavy in rhetoric.

Modernistic vocabulary drew from many semantic fields to impart a different meaning behind words in his literary work.

Darío often mentions the 'swan' in his literary works to symbolize the idea of beauty and perfection within his writing.

His contributions to the movement of modernismo created an opportunity for poets to use their words with meaning behind them within their poems.

One of his poems, called Tuércele el cuello al cisne (Twist the Swan’s Neck), has often been seen as an anti-modernismo manifesto.