Abstract
Though the question of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer’s modernity has been a touchstone of critical discussion since the Rimas were first published posthumously in 1871, a definitive answer has proven elusive. A reading of rima VIII in the context of Giacomo Leopardi’s “L’Infinito” reopens the question in unexpected ways. This comparison, with recourse to the sublime and Kant, suggests that it’s possible to read Bécquer as Romantic or modern according to the reader and what is read.
