The Great Synthesis of the Critical Poets: The Rise of Octavio Paz

doi:10.1017/9781108917315.010

Chapter 9 - The Great Synthesis of the Critical Poets: The Rise of Octavio Paz

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 March 2024

Anthony Stanton

Edited by

José Ramón Ruisánchez Serra ,

Anna M. Nogar and

Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado

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José Ramón Ruisánchez Serra: Affiliation:
University of Houston

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Summary

In the wake of the Mexican Revolution and its long aftermath, a distinguished lineage of Mexican poets that were also – and perhaps more importantly – outstandingly gifted essayists, made a sustained effort to reconstitute a national tradition fully inserted in Occidentalism. This chapter examines this great synthesis of the critical poets, beginning with Alfonso Reyes, followed by the Contemporáneos group, and arriving at the major accomplishments of Octavio Paz. The chapter focuses on Paz, establishing the different sources of his ideas on critical poetry and then examining some of his most significant compositions in this vein, with a particular focus on “Himno entre ruinas.”

Keywords

Critical poets Xavier Villaurrutia Jorge Cuesta Octavio Paz Ramón López Velarde José Gorostiza

Type: Chapter
Information: A History of Mexican Poetry , pp. 160 - 180

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108917315.010 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2024

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References

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