Valle-Inclán's Esperpento: A Grotesque Vision of Reality

The Concept of Esperpento

The tragedy is our tragedy, but it is presented as esperpento. To understand this, we must define two fundamental terms: "tragedy" and "ours."

• Ours: This refers not only to the characters in the play but also to the Spanish people of the 20th century.
• Tragedy: The first meaning refers to a dramatic event, while the second refers to the theatrical genre. In the misunderstandings between the characters Max and Don Latino, their dialogue defines esperpento as a new theatrical subgenre and a unique vision of Spanish reality.

Valle-Inclán created a genre in which to channel his feelings. We can consider esperpento the only grotesque aesthetic capable of revealing the tragic sense of Spanish life. The literary deformation proposed by Valle-Inclán is not merely aesthetic but reflects a historical reality, as Spain at that time was a grotesque distortion of Europe.

Esperpento has connections with other literary and artistic movements:

• Valle-Inclán and his esperpentos are part of a movement of leading innovators.
• Valle-Inclán inserts himself into a traditional current of the grotesque.
• There is also a clear parallel with pictorial expressionism.

Characteristics of Esperpento

Esperpento is achieved through two primary dramatic channels: action and language.

Caricatural Deformation of Reality

This is a fundamental resource that has its origins in theatrical parody, farce, and the literature of the arrabal (suburbs), which are at the root of Valle-Inclán's new aesthetic.

Degradation of Characters

The characters in the play embody a dual dimension of "clownish heroes" and "tragic clowns" in both their attitudes and speech. They form a hollow chorus of characters, unable to react even in the face of death. Through this degradation, characters are often objectified, animalized, or treated as puppets.

Humor

The humor in Luces de Bohemia sometimes drifts into a bitter laugh and at other times becomes highly charged criticism and biting sarcasm.

Degradation of Settings

Most of the locations where the narrative action occurs are degraded, such as "a cramped bookstore" or "a dark tavern."

Distanced Treatment of Characters

The author adopts a position from above, preventing identification and transmitting a deformed reality. He avoids using proper names, preferring common ones, and often dwarfs the characters. Animalization and puppetization are also common techniques.

Valle-Inclán's Three Aesthetic Perspectives

Valle-Inclán explains that "there are three ways of viewing the world artistically or aesthetically":

• Kneeling: The character is superior to the author (as in an epic).
• Standing: The author and character are on the same level (as in a novel).
• Raised in the air: The author looks down on the characters with irony and contempt, viewing the world from a superior plane. This is the perspective of esperpento.