Rubén Darío ante los retos tecnológicos del siglo veinte: una lectura del <i>Mundial magazine</i> (1911-1914)

Abstract

This article takes, as a point of departure, Walter Benjamin’s reflections on the role of literature and art in the face of twentieth-century technological progress. With Benjamin’s ideas in mind, the article approaches the role of Rubén Darío as both literary editor and collaborator of Mundial magazine (1911-1914). Through a comprehensive reading of the magazine (forty issues in total), the article shows the way in which art and literature (including Darío’s) becomes commodified. Notwithstanding, the article also takes into consideration the irony inherent in Darío’s authorial disenchantment during an era of optimism regarding technological progress. The article explores Darío’s literary and philosophical responses to this milieu through the textual commentary of some of his collaborations.