The Grotesque and Distortion in Valle-Inclán’s Esperpento
The Grotesque in Valle-Inclán’s Esperpento
Key Characteristics
- The Grotesque as Expression: Blending tragedy and comedy, distorting the scene, and defying traditional genre classification.
- Systematic Distortion of Reality: Highlighting key social aspects and contrasting character actions with expectations, creating a caricatured reality.
- Dehumanization: Characters lose human traits, becoming absurd, animalistic figures due to their conditioned reality.
- Dual Code: Mocking reality while offering satirical commentary, particularly on Spanish society.
- Language: Harsh, violent language with popular slang, especially from Madrid’s marginal environments, mixed with elevated tones.
- Extraordinary as Ordinary: Presenting the absurd as routine using specific references to create a sense of veracity.
- Authorial Detachment: An impassive observation of characters, treating them as puppets in a farce.
Valle-Inclán’s Dramatic Evolution
Early Works and Modernism
Valle-Inclán’s early work demonstrates a rupture with traditional theater. His plays constantly renewed in form and theme, incorporating previously excluded subjects. Starting with modernist works like Sonatas, he later dedicated himself to the esperpento genre. His early plays were decadent court dramas, close to verse drama, incorporating modernist decadence. He focused on describing the moods of his heroines, with settings often indoors, reflecting the modernist idea of the outside world as destructive. The Wilderness of the Soul, while addressing adultery like high comedies of the time, removes the ethical burden. Bradomín The Marquis, inspired by Autumn Sonata, further exemplifies this decadent phase.
Transition and Galician Influence
Divine Words marks a transition with its dry, rapid dialogue and popular language, influencing later esperpentos. The decadence, reflecting the exhaustion of aristocratic and bohemian life, is evident in his portrayal of rural Galicia. This aesthetic trend emphasizes sadness and exalts feelings, portraying the external world as hostile to the human soul.