Spanish Literary Movements: Generation of '27 and Dramatic Forms

The Generation of '27 in Spanish Theater

The Generation of '27 was a group of influential poets and writers who emerged in Spanish literary circles in the 1920s. While primarily celebrated for their poetry, many members also made significant contributions to the world of theater. This section highlights some key figures and their theatrical endeavors:

Key Figures and Their Theatrical Contributions

• Rafael Alberti: His theatrical concerns often reflected the themes of his poetry, exploring concepts found in works like 'The Uninhabited Man' and 'Monstrosity'.
• Max Aub: Began his career with avant-garde works, later writing engaged theater that powerfully reflected reality, particularly during his exile.
• Alejandro Casona: Renowned for his poetic realism in plays such as La dama del alba (The Lady of the Dawn).
• Federico García Lorca:
  • Began his theatrical journey with the perceived failure of Maleficio de la mariposa (The Butterfly's Evil Spell), which led him to create new formulas to connect more directly with the public.
  • His farces include notable works like El amor de Don Perlimplín con Belisa en su jardín (The Love of Don Perlimplín and Belisa in His Garden).
  • His 'impossible comedies'—symbolic, surrealist, and often challenging to interpret—feature plays such as El público (The Public) and Así que pasen cinco años (When Five Years Pass).
  • His powerful social tragedies, often imbued with a sense of destiny and the representation of the human condition, include Mariana Pineda, Bodas de sangre (Blood Wedding), Yerma, Doña Rosita la soltera (Doña Rosita the Spinster), and La casa de Bernarda Alba (The House of Bernarda Alba).

Understanding Literary Genres

Literary works are broadly categorized into genres based on their form, style, and content. Here, we delve into the basic elements of lyric, narrative, and dramatic genres, along with specific types of dramatic works.

Basic Elements of Lyric Poetry

• Subjectivity: Focuses on the inner reality of the speaker; external reality is significant only for the reactions it evokes in the poet.
• Expressive Function: The primary emotive function characteristic of the genre, conveying feelings and emotions.
• Poetic Function: Emphasizes the literary creation itself, focusing on the aesthetic and formal qualities of language.
• Form: The usual mode of expression is verse, but lyrical prose can also be used.

Basic Elements of the Narrative Genre

• Reality Manipulation: A conscious process where the author creates a narrator who brings to life characters performing actions in a specific space and time.
• Fictional Resources: The effective use of literary devices and techniques that promote the fictional world and engage the reader.
• Structural Organization: The careful organization and selection of structural elements that best suit the reality the writer aims to transmit.

Basic Elements of Drama

Drama reflects a reality created to be performed before an audience. It can reach the recipient either as a written text (a play script) or as a live stage performance.

Major Dramatic Works

• Tragedy: High drama involving characters confronted by invincible forces, often leading to a catastrophic conclusion, and aiming for catharsis (purification) in the viewer.
• Drama: A dramatic text with conflicts less rigid and often more realistic than those found in tragedy, exploring various aspects of human experience.
• Comedy: A dramatic text that represents the playful and joyful side of reality, featuring actions from daily life and typically concluding with a happy ending.

Minor Dramatic Works

• Auto Sacramental: A dramatic text with religious themes and allegorical characters, popular in the Spanish Golden Age, often performed during the feast of Corpus Christi.
• Entremés (Interlude): A short, comical dramatic piece, often featuring popular characters, performed between acts of a longer play.
• Farce: A comic play that comically exaggerates actions or characters to create a grotesque reality, often featuring popular characters and settings for humorous effect.
• Vaudeville: A light and evasive comedy with complicated intrigues, generally based on themes of love, wit, and humor.

Musical Theater Forms

• Opera: A play composed for singing and musical accompaniment, integrating elements of literature, music, and dance into a cohesive performance.
• Zarzuela: A light and popular Spanish dramatic form alternating spoken dialogue with singing and music, often featuring regional themes.
• Operetta: A type of opera with a frivolous subject matter and a happy ending, often including spoken dialogue and lighter musical numbers.
• Revue: A theatrical show of a frivolous character, often without a continuous dialogue or plot, featuring a series of songs, dances, and sketches.