Spanish Theater History: Trends and Authors Before 1939

Spanish Theater Before 1939

In the late nineteenth century, works known as "high comedy" by Echegaray and his followers were represented. Public taste, which was only slightly refined, and the disaffection of theater owners prevented any serious attempt at renovating the theater scene. Nevertheless, the following forms survived in the first third of the century:

1. The bourgeois comedy.
2. The farce of the Madrid or Andalusian environment, which evolved into other forms such as the grotesque tragedy or the Astracán.
3. The modernist spirit, which cultivated a poetic and symbolic theater.

Attempts at Renewal and the Generation of '98

The most serious attempts at renewal came from Unamuno, Valle Inclán, and Azorín, but few of their works were successfully represented.

Groups and Trends (Pre-1936)

The main groups and trends of Spanish theater prior to 1936 included:

The Bourgeois Comedy of Benavente

Jacinto Benavente proposed a theater without grandstanding or excess, preferring everyday environments. One of his most important works is Los intereses creados (Vested Interests). Benavente achieved huge nationwide popularity, and in 1922, he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

The Verse Play

• Francisco Villaespesa: La leona de Castilla (The Lioness of Castile)
• Eduardo Marquina: Las hijas del Cid (The Daughters of the Cid)
• Manuel and Antonio Machado: Juan de Mañara or Lola se va a los puertos (Lola Goes to the Ports)

The Comic Theater

• Álvarez Quintero Brothers: Their works often presented a superficial, topical, and sometimes distorted image of Andalusia. Notable works include La reina mora (The Moorish Queen) and The Darling.
• Carlos Arniches: Focusing on the Madrid atmosphere, he produced sketches and wrote what he called the "grotesque tragedy," such as Mademoiselle de Trévelez.

Theater of the Authors of the Generation of '98

These authors (Unamuno, Azorín, Valle Inclán, and Jacinto Grau) sought to create a theater that would serve as a conduit for the expression of their religious, social, and existential conflicts. They developed complex intellectual and philosophical dramatic trends that connected with the most innovative dramatic panorama of the Western world at the time.

Ramón María del Valle-Inclán

His output includes novels, short stories, poetry, and theater. His evolution paralleled his ideological shift, moving from an elegant and nostalgic Modernism to a critical literature based on a distortion of reality: the "absurdity." His plays are grouped into three cycles:

Valle-Inclán's Dramatic Cycles

1. The Myth Cycle: The action takes place in a mythic, timeless Galicia. Examples: Comedias Bárbaras (Barbarian Comedies), Divinas Palabras (Divine Words).
2. The Farce Cycle: Works located in a rather ridiculous space, typical of the eighteenth century. Examples: La Marquesa Rosalinda, Farsa y licencia de la Reina Castiza (Farce and License of the Castilian Queen).