Spanish Theater: Evolution and Key Authors (Early 20th Century)
Spanish Theater in the Early 20th Century
The theatrical genre is subject to conditions peculiar compared to other genres. It suffers more from censorship and must meet business demands, as it is limited by the capacity of its public criticism. Different types of theater are highlighted: one in which rates are less relevant, with authors such as those from the Generation of 98, modernist drama, comic theater, the Vanguards, and the Generation of 27; and on the other hand, authors are grouped with their most important works of the era, such as Valle-Inclán following the grotesque, Jacinto Benavente, and Federico García Lorca.
Generation of 98
Given this name due to the disaster of 1898, the end goal of this generation was to regenerate Spain. It was marked by the “conceptual stage” of ideas, dense. In this generation, we can include Unamuno and Azorín, a philosophical and existentialist playwright who was a “cigar.” This was for a select audience.
Modernist Theater
Modernist Theater was a great success in the early 20th century but gradually declined, losing influence to the point where it became extinct. This is represented in works by Eduardo Marquina, such as In Flanders, the Sun Has Set.
Comic Theater
Comic Theater had folk and customs dyes. This theater is characterized by a subject close to the people and the use of a vulgar dialect. Notable are the Álvarez Quintero brothers and Carlos Arniches, who cultivated the “grotesque tragedy.”
The Vanguards
The Vanguards were movements aimed at creating innovative new works. Ramón Gómez de la Serna stood out, despite not having great success in the business community.
Generation of 27
The Generation of 27 included Alejandro Casona, who brought theater closer to the people and found success. Within this generation, we can also highlight Miguel Mihura, who has one of the most refined techniques of 20th-century theater.
Valle-Inclán
Valle-Inclán was one of the greatest innovators of Spanish drama from the early 20th century. He created a new form of theater: the grotesque, with which he achieved great aesthetic success and triumphed among the spectators. The essence of the grotesque is the deformation of classical values, classic characters, and theatrical conventions in the work. His most important plays are Divine Words and Bohemian Lights.
Jacinto Benavente
Jacinto Benavente’s plays reflect the “bourgeois comedy” and criticism, as they criticize the customs of the time. He had great success in the early 20th century and was perhaps the most successful playwright of his time. He sought new ideas to be successful and fully renovated the way theater was done in Spain, along with Valle-Inclán and García Lorca. Jacinto Benavente’s theater brought to light issues such as violence, bad habits, corruption, special interests, and rural life.
Federico García Lorca
Federico García Lorca was a writer with an overwhelming personality, under which a deep malaise was hidden. This led him to write works about fated passions, doomed to solitude or death. This is the tragedy of any person sentenced to a sterile life. Lorca was cultured from different theatrical traditions, such as rural drama, classical Baroque, puppetry, and avant-garde theater. Hence the variety of genres and the alternate use of verse and prose in his plays. The first two works were written entirely in verse, and later he gave way to a poetic and disembodied prose. The language Lorca used in his work is popular but has a poetic hue created by metaphor, emotive connotations, and images.
Lorca’s Theatrical Career
His career in theater can be divided into three stages:
- In the 1920s: He experimented with popular, “guiñolesco” (puppet-like), symbolist, and modernist drama. His first success was Mariana Pineda, dealing with a heroine executed in Granada. Another notable work is The Shoemaker’s Prodigious Wife.
- During a deep personal and aesthetic crisis: He created works like The Public.
- In his last stage, the heyday of Lorca, the 1930s: He took a decisive turn, linking aesthetic rigor and popular scope. In almost all the works he wrote at this time, the woman occupies the central position.
Representative Works of Lorca’s Final Stage
- Blood Wedding: A passion that leads to death.
- Yerma: The drama of a woman condemned to infertility and plunged into fidelity to her husband.
- Doña Rosita the Spinster: A drama about the useless waiting for love.
- The House of Bernarda Alba: Refers to a mourning that triggers great passions; it is a continuous confrontation between authority and freedom.