Ultraism

1 9.9

A style of Spanish and Spanish American poetry that uses free lines and strong new images to break old rules

noun
/ˈʌltrəˌɪzəm/

Archaic

: ultraísmo

Many poets embraced Ultraism to explore new forms of expression and break away from tradition.

Examples

Writers influenced by Ultraism often experimented with intricate imagery and free verse to convey their ideas.
The Ultraism movement significantly transformed Spanish literature with its emphasis on avant-garde techniques.
Ultraism.

Little Ashes (2008)
Ultraism, Conservatism, Progressivism, Communism, Liberalism, Neo-Fascism, parties of the right, left, center, left-of-center, and oblate poles: who cared?

Fiction book (1990)

Surface Forms

Ultraism singular

Ultraisms plural

Morphology

Ultraism = ultra (semi-transparent) = ultra + ism

The word is clearly built from 'ultra' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ism', but the sense as a named literary movement is specialized rather than fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Ultraism comes from the prefix ultra- meaning 'beyond' (as in ultraviolet) and the ending -ism meaning 'a movement or belief'. It was the name for a poetry movement in Spain and Spanish America that tried to go 'beyond' old rules, so Ultraism now suggests a bold, modern style that breaks with tradition.