Valle-Inclán’s Literary Evolution & “Luces de Bohemia”
Valle-Inclán’s Literary Evolution: From Modernism to the Grotesque
- Evolution of the work of Valle-Inclán. Justifies the inclusion of “Luces de Bohemia” in one of its stages.
The production of Valle-Inclán is varied, encompassing novels, short stories, plays, and poetry. In all genres, there is a parallel development to his ideological change. Valle-Inclán’s positions differ from those taken by the authors of the Generation of ’98. While the aesthetic evolution of Valle-Inclán is complex, it would be too simplistic to reduce his work to just two stages: the modernist and the grotesque.
His narrative work, from his early stories until the publication of *Sonata de Otoño*, marked the launch of this writer. The evolution from modernism to the grotesque is evident when he publishes his trilogy on the Carlist War. The transformation from modernist prose to the absurd occurs from *Los cruzados de la causa* and the rest of the works of the trilogy, transitioning to the absurd narrative and culminating in *Tirano Banderas*. In general, the *Sonatas* and the stories are completely within the modernist aesthetic.
Thus, we come to 1920, the date on which the author published four plays, most notably Luces de Bohemia. The style of these novels is heartbreaking, as is the nonsensical. It also has a sour mood and an incalculable critical force. But the prose is a carefully prepared design, truly great.
“Luces de Bohemia” in the Historical and Literary Context of the Time
All the action takes place in Madrid, and the time is real. Valle-Inclán has placed the work in an era where there were riots in Spain, a period in which Maura was Minister of the Interior. The Madrid that Valle-Inclán paints is a foolish and hungry Madrid where there is street fighting.
We see in *Luces de Bohemia* a time of political and social instability and a lack of solutions to these national problems. These problems were actually occurring in Spain during that century. For example, Maura, who appears repeatedly criticized in the play, was a well-known figure linked to politics at the time.
While the action cannot be assigned to a particular year, the work falls within a precise time reference that can be established following the references in the text. The work is concerned with the period starting in 1913 to about 1920. In the context of the work, we see that *Luces de Bohemia* tends to recreate an era marked by political and social instability and the lack of viable solutions to national problems. Besides, the characters allude to a variety of issues or topics that were in fashion at the time.
Outstanding Authors of the Generation of ’98
- Miguel de Unamuno (one of the leading personalities of 20th-century Spanish literature)
- Pío Baroja (Besides being known for his novels, among which are “El árbol de la ciencia” or “Zalacaín el aventurero”, he cultivated other genres like the story, the novella, travel books, biographies, and essays)
- Antonio Machado (with Unamuno, they were the only poets of this generation, as most wrote essays; their preference was for skepticism, pessimism, and personal distress)
Other Notable Authors of the Period
- And many authors such as Juan Ramón Jiménez, José Martínez Ruiz – Azorín, José Ortega y Gasset, Ramiro de Maeztu, Rubén Darío, …