Luces de Bohemia: Historical and Literary Context
1. Historical Context and its Reflection in the Work
Luces de Bohemia, a satirical work by Ramón del Valle-Inclán, offers a critique of Spanish politics, society, and religion. It serves as a denunciation of the Spanish situation of the time. Valle-Inclán utilizes the play to reflect various aspects of Spanish reality through a distorted lens. Some of the key aspects criticized include:
- References to the imperial past (Philip II, El Escorial).
- References to the Spanish colonies in America, the Tragic Week (1909), the Russian Revolution (1917), and the events following the Spanish crisis of 1917.
- Criticism of various real political figures: “Death to Maura!”
- Strikes against bad government, corruption of the Minister, capitalism, and bourgeois conformism.
- Protest against police repression, including torture and illegal detentions.
- Emergence of street riots fueled by the workers’ revolution.
- Caricatures of the bourgeoisie: the bookseller Zaratustra, the landlord Pica Lagartos, some proponents of the order of the stage XI, etc.
- A critique of traditional and empty religion.
- Criticism of literary figures, schools, and institutions (e.g., Galdós).
- Ridicule of bohemian life, portraying it as useless.
2. Literary Context (Modernism and Generation of ’98)
Modernism
Modernism was a literary movement that sought to reconcile diverse influences. Its common feature was to encompass a wide range of styles and themes, combining elements of Parnassianism, Symbolism, Impressionism, Aestheticism, and Mysticism. It aimed to blend traditionalism with exoticism and simplicity of expression. In Spain, Modernism represented a critical attitude against the norms of the bourgeois system. Intellectuals and artists adopted a rebellious stance against society.
Generation of ’98
Alongside Modernism, a group of writers, essayists, and poets known as the Generation of ’98 emerged. Their primary concerns included:
- The identity of Spain: distinguishing between the real and the false, the miserable and the apparent.
- A deep interest in and love for Castile.
- Breaking traditional literary molds and creating new forms (e.g., Valle-Inclán’s use of the absurd).
- Using language close to the street, yet simple, and restoring traditional words.
- Pessimism as a prevalent attitude, favoring the regeneration proposed by Joaquín Costa.
Latin American Boom
The Latin American Boom of the 1960s and 1970s saw the rise of prominent authors like Mario Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Márquez. While influenced by magical realism, these authors didn’t fully embrace its characteristics, as they didn’t typically blend fact and fiction in the same way. This period marked a significant editorial and literary rediscovery of a generation of storytellers who revitalized Hispanic narrative, drawing inspiration from European innovations.
Features
The works of the Latin American Boom often reflected:
- Social injustice, particularly concerning the indigenous population.
- Problems of human existence.
- Philosophical and existential questions.
They also tended to abandon linear, orderly, logical structures in favor of experimental structures that reflected the multiplicity of reality. These authors opted for high literature and often featured exceptional characters driven by excessive obsessions.
Post-Boom / Novisima Literature / Postmodern Literature
Emerging in the 1970s, Post-Boom literature blended fantasy and reality, drawing inspiration from writers like Kafka, as a means of reflecting the absurdity of existence. It followed and evolved from the Boom.
Features
Post-Boom literature exhibited the following characteristics:
- A departure from the concern for creating new types of literature.
- A more direct style.
- A return to realism.
- Concerns that were not primarily existentialist.
- A preference for historical narrative based on real events.
- Frequent exploration of exile, a common experience among the authors of this movement.
- The emergence of women’s literature and a change in the treatment of sexuality.
- A greater ability to perceive reality and the referential capacity of language.
- Simpler and more compressed structures.
- Rooted in memory and contents closer to the reader (e.g., the author recounting recent events).
- Inclusion of elements from mass culture.
- A more direct and simple treatment of reality and socio-cultural poetics in Latin America.
- A desire to preserve Latin American identities.
- Exploration of the tragic impact of dictatorial regimes and exile experienced by the authors.
- Frequent complaints about social, ideological, and political issues.
- Characters who are often depicted as ordinary inhabitants of Latin American cities.
- A renewed focus on the theme of love.
Narrative Procedures Employed
- Return to traditional narrative techniques.
- Use of omniscient narrators and linear storylines.
In conclusion, the Post-Boom can be seen as a reaction against certain aspects of the Boom, demonstrating a preference for literature that is more accessible, realistic, and engaged with the historical and political realities of Latin America.