Federico García Lorca: Life, Work, and The House of Bernarda Alba

Federico García Lorca: Life, Work, and Social Context

1. Work and Social Context

Status of the Author in His Time

Federico García Lorca, a renowned Spanish poet and playwright, was born in Fuente Vaqueros in 1898. His childhood was spent in a rural setting, and he later studied at a college in Almería. He pursued higher education at the University of Granada, where he befriended Manuel de Falla. Falla exercised great influence on Lorca, communicating his love for folklore and popular culture. After 1919, Lorca moved to Madrid, where he met prominent figures. He devoted himself not only to poetry but also to music and drawing, and he became increasingly interested in theater. He traveled to New York, and upon his return, he became the director of *La Barraca*, a university theater troupe. His interest in theater grew alongside his eagerness to reach the town in the most direct way. He was shot and killed in Granada in 1936.

Historical-Cultural Framework

Spain was experiencing political, economic, and social decline. The country faced significant internal problems. The bourgeoisie controlled large industries, while the working class organized. During the reign of Alfonso XIII, a variety of rights grew due to the "turnismo" of the social party. The dictatorship of Primo de Rivera aggravated the problems. Despite the situation, culture also strengthened. New cultural movements emerged, breaking with previous trends. These currents of art, especially Surrealism, exerted influence on a group of poetic writers known as the Generation of '27, which included Lorca. The event that united them was the tribute the group paid to Luis de Góngora in 1927. Their basic purpose was aesthetic. The situation was also marked by the Civil War.

Stage of Writing the Book

The House of Bernarda Alba was written in 1936 and was Lorca's last work. It premiered in 1945 in Buenos Aires. Although the work has characteristics of tragedy, its realism, language, and some comic expressions identify it as a rural drama that had its starting point in real figures: Frasquita Alba and her daughters, who were neighbors of Lorca. The play depicts a tradition carried to extreme lengths: a rural family of that time, obsessed by what people will say, is capable of living in a dictatorial situation.

The Drama

Lorca's drama is the most important written in Castilian in the 20th century. It is a poetic drama due to the presence of symbolic elements and language. It not only has theatrical influences from Valle-Inclán but also from Lope de Vega. Verse and prose are combined in his plays, but in his last work, a pattern of dramatic intensity in prose emerges. Lorca understood theater as the most direct way to reach the village. During the 1930s, in his constant search for renewal, Lorca took two different paths: on the one hand, avant-garde theater, unrepresentable; on the other, plays that achieved commercial success.

2. Dramatic Techniques and Characters

Space and Time

All the action takes place in the house of Bernarda Alba, an enclosed space with a suffocating atmosphere. The setting of the first act serves to create an oppressive atmosphere: thick, white walls. The second act also takes place indoors, in a white room leading to the bedrooms. The third act changes the scenario: the action takes place in an interior courtyard with a blue look. The barnyard is a place loaded with symbolism: a little freedom and contact with nature. It is a place of rebellion. Bells contribute to the oppressive atmosphere.