Rubén Darío’s Model in the Spanish Silver Age Literary Criticism. Echoes in Francisco Valdés’s Prose

Abstract

This article offers a new reading of Rubén Darío’s prose from his influence in following writers. More specifically, the analysis deals with Rubén’s critical work and Francisco Valdés’s conscious use of his model. To do so we have used both the reception of the Nicaraguan’s work by Silver Age best-known authors and notes on his well-established model for literary criticism. This is followed by a detailed analysis of Valdés’s literary criticism and a comparison of his works and Rubén Darío’s. In sum, using Francisco Valdés as a case study, this article demonstrates the influence of Darío’s model on the Spanish Silver Age criticism.