From earthly passions to spiritual transcendence: Ernestina de Champourcin's symbolic poetry, 1926-1936

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the symbolic character of Ernestina de Champourcin's poetry. Using vivid images of the body, and more concretely, the hands, we are able to reconstruct a coherent poetic-symbolic language in her early period. As we delve into this early period (1926-1936), we find that she connects with the imaginativeness of many of her generational peers, but taking a somewhat different route. Champourcin draws on the French Romantics, the pure poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez, and the mystic passions of San Juan de la Cruz, to give way to a unique and vibrant symbology of great critical value in the field of Generation of 1927 studies.