Pio Baroja, Valle-Inclan, Spanish Theater, and Language Evolution

Pío Baroja

Pío Baroja's novels showcase his pessimistic and negative worldview, where only the strongest survive. Key characteristics of his work include:

• Open Structure: He views the novel as a series of scenes connected by a main character, progressing without a defined plot.
• Varied Settings: The Basque Country and Madrid are prominent, but also Castilian villages, Levantine, and other locations.
• Contemporary or Near-Contemporary Time: His stories are set in his present or a time close to it.
• Impact of Reality on Consciousness: The narrator, often a character, perceives existential pessimism.
• Protagonist Types: His main characters are typically men of action or contemplative individuals questioning the meaning of life.
• Trilogies: He often groups his novels into trilogies.

Valle-Inclán

Straddling Generation of '98 and Modernism, Valle-Inclán cultivated an unconventional narrative style that evolved from rhythmic prose to grotesque satire of Latin American dictatorships.

The Commercial Theater

The commercial theater catered to the stationary and conservative tastes of the bourgeoisie. Three main trends emerged:

• Bourgeois Comedy: Playwright Jacinto Benavente, though failing to channel the conscience, appealed to middle-class audiences with works presenting bourgeois conflicts. Notable works include *Vested Interests* and *The Unloved*.
• Poetic Theater: Combining Romantic and Baroque elements with Modernism, this genre held a traditionalist ideology, glorifying aristocratic ideals. Key figures include Eduardo Marquina and the Machado brothers.
• Comic Manners Theater: This style presented colorful characters and authentic settings. Farces and comedies were often written with an Andalusian atmosphere. Carlos Arniches wrote sketches of Madrid's customs and verbal comedy, achieving great success and critical acclaim.
• Innovative Theater: It is crucial to acknowledge the attempts at an avant-garde theater. The great playwright Valle-Inclán's extensive work can be grouped into five cycles:
  • Cycle of Poetic Drama: These are his earliest dramatic works—Modernist plays in verse with mocking and ironic features that foreshadow the *esperpento*.
  • Mythical or Galician Cycle: This cycle depicts a mythical and primitive Galicia, showing the decomposition of the countryside.
  • Farce Cycle: Its components resemble a puppet show.
  • Esperpento Cycle: This cycle offers a grotesque vision of the Calderonian myth of honor, the myth of Don Juan, and the Spain of that era.
  • Cycle of *Autos* and Melodramas: Contemporary society is replaced by near-mythic themes, as seen in *Comedias Bárbaras*.

Origin and Development of the Spanish Language

Spanish originated from Latin but retains influences from other languages. Before the Roman invasion, both Indo-European (Celtic) and non-Indo-European (Basque) languages were spoken. Romanization led to the disappearance of these languages and the emergence of Vulgar Latin. Germanic peoples altered the linguistic landscape, and the Arab presence introduced numerous loanwords. The Reconquista was characterized by the formation of Romance dialects. Castilian, an innovative dialect from northern Spain, emerged during this period. Medieval Castilian was imposed on other dialects, undergoing significant evolution during the medieval period, notably due to the contributions of Alfonso X. During the Golden Age, the language acquired a configuration very similar to its present form. The vocabulary expanded with cultisms and loanwords. The Enlightenment saw the founding of the Royal Spanish Academy to standardize Castilian and prevent its misuse. The abandonment of traditional lifestyles led to the decline of rural speech.

Varieties of Spanish

Castilian Spanish is the official state language, spoken by over 300 million people. It harmonizes unity and diversity. The dialectal reality of Castilian is a result of historical factors, with two main types of dialects: historical and Southern.

• Historical Dialects: Dialects originating from the primitive Castilian:
  • Leonese Dialect: Reduced to fragmented vulgar speech with little social prestige.
  • Aragonese Dialect: Limited to certain regions of Aragon and Navarre.
• Southern Dialects: Dialects south of the Canary Islands share many common features:
  • Andalusian Dialect: The most widespread and prestigious. Its distinctive sounds include *seseo* (pronouncing 'c' and 'z' as 's'), *ceceo* (pronouncing 's' as 'th'), *yeísmo* (pronouncing 'll' and 'y' the same), and the loss of final consonants.
  • Extremaduran, Murcian, and Canarian: These are transitional dialects resulting from the influence of neighboring languages and dialects.