Mercè Rodoreda: Life, Work, and the Broken Mirror
Mercè Rodoreda: Life and Work
Born in 1908 in Barcelona, Sant Gervasi, Mercè Rodoreda was an only child, greatly influenced by her grandfather, who encouraged her to read books in Catalan. She only attended school for three years, being mostly self-taught. Until the age of 32, she did not publish any work, stating, “I am an honest woman.” In 1934, she published A Day in the Life of a Man. (She would later reject these early works.) She began to engage in cultural activities, with her consolidation coming in 1937 with Aloma, which won the Crexells Prize and was reviewed in 1969. This work introduces two main themes that would be developed later: the passage of time and the myth of childhood. After the war, she went into exile in France, then later in Geneva until the end of the 1970s, before returning to Catalonia with Romana of the Jungle. From 1937 to 1958, she did not publish anything.
In 1958, she published a collection of stories titled 22 Stories, which explored love triangles using the technique of omniscient narration. After the war, she abandoned the first-person narrator. She published The Time of the Doves in 1962 and The Street of the Camellias in 1966, both in a more colloquial style and in the first person. She also published Garden by the Sea in 1966 and My Cristina and Other Stories in 1967. In 1974, she published Broken Mirror, which is structured in three parts: part 1 uses omniscience, while parts 2 and 3 use free indirect style (interior monologue). The Wort and Spring was published posthumously in 1986.
Broken Mirror: Structure
The novel follows a tripartite structure. Part 1 contains the entire plot, while the other two parts are devoted to an evocation of the past through memory and thoughts. The first part introduces the narrative of the work, including the characters, spaces, and chronological time. Part 2 discusses the characters in detail, and Part 3 is led by the slogan “but in time past is forgotten in time.”
Area
The area is treated as a first-order element, almost as a character. The story revolves around San Gervasio, specifically the tower. It is divided into two spaces: the house and the garden. The house is for adults, and the garden is for children. The house is described in great detail, with specific rooms like the bedrooms (where adults keep their secrets), the great hall, the library (where Eladi dies), and the kitchen (where the servants work). The garden symbolizes the biblical garden, a space of primitive nature (including James’ pond, the bay, and the Gavia).
Time
Rodoreda speaks of time in two ways: chronological time, which is very detailed, and psychological time, which she explores in depth.
Personality
The novel features many different personalities. The author does not put much emphasis on history but wants to highlight the intimate nature of the characters, both the humble and the main figures. The characters live in solitude and have secret detentions. They are described by other characters or by themselves when they look in the mirror. It is an exercise in memory recall. The characters exhibit a sense of sadness and the feeling of anxiety characteristic of the twentieth century.
Style
In the prologue, Rodoreda outlines the kind of novel she wants to write, focusing on a single character. Her narrative style is realistic, reminiscent of the 19th century. The narrator provides very detailed descriptions of reality, creating a visual text. However, Rodoreda adds dynamism by introducing memory, thinking, and subjective views of the characters.
Legend
There are people or objects related to the facts, all strongly evocative and symbolic. A broken mirror is associated with memories of relationships, emotions, and happiness.