Valle-Inclán’s Esperpento: Distortion in Luces de Bohemia
Valle-Inclán’s Esperpento in Luces de Bohemia
Defining the Grotesque Reality
In Luces de Bohemia, Valle-Inclán clearly reflects his concept of the esperpento by distorting appearances. He presents reality through this lens; the characters adopt grotesque and even absurd demeanors, both aesthetically and ethically. These features are evident in the poet Max Estrella, who inhabits a degraded, shabby, and vulgar world governed by stupidity, arbitrariness, and profound injustice. This portrayal becomes an absurdity because it distorts reality to reveal the world as it truly is. The author presents a vision of the country’s torn reality at the time. Nevertheless, behind the grotesque, the comic, and the absurd, there is always a tragic situation. The line between tragedy and farce is the foundation upon which Valle-Inclán builds his esperpento. Thus, the tragedy of Spain transforms into a disturbing yet funny spectacle. All elements of the grotesque—characters, environments, words, and gestures—are employed to depict the misery of Spain. Valle-Inclán’s anger reaches every corner, and almost nothing escapes this esperpentizing process.
Features of the Grotesque
Within the work, different features of the grotesque are presented:
Contrasts in Language
The use of contrasts is notable, juxtaposing learned words with profanity or out-of-place expressions, such as “!no me entra la pata!…” or “!Podía! Me inhibo….”. Comparisons between humans and animals (“Rubén [Darío] es un cerdo triste”) or vice versa (“un ratón saca el hocico intrigante por un agujero”) are also employed. This use of words from opposite and discordant semantic fields is a hallmark of the language Valle-Inclán uses to intensify the sense of the grotesque and absurd.
Rich Language and Stage Directions
It is precisely through language that Valle-Inclán develops a fierce critique and mocks the characters. Within his style, the variety of linguistic registers found in Luces de Bohemia is remarkable. He uses a large repertoire of terms from Caló (gypsy dialect) (“Mangue, sacre, chulé”), street slang reflecting poverty and suffering (“diñarla”, “beber mientras velan”, “dar el pan de higos”, etc.), and language employed by Madrid residents, especially by Don Latino. However, dialogues are not the only basis for the linguistic richness of Luces de Bohemia. The stage directions also stand out, particularly in the literary technique with which Valle-Inclán renders the characters grotesque (esperpentiza). This richness lies in the evocative and often musical language of the stage directions.
Character Treatment: Reification & Animalization
It is important to highlight two ways Valle-Inclán ridicules characters: reification and animalization. Through personification, objects or animals are elevated to the level of humans, or even above them. Conversely, humans are degraded through reification (treated as objects) and animalization (treated as beasts), with Valle-Inclán treating some characters like puppets or marionettes. The stage directions serve another important function throughout the work: the grotesque distortions prevent the work from being purely tragic by creating a contrast between the descriptive stage directions and the dialogue or environment.
Large Cast of Characters
Another element characteristic of the grotesque is the large number of characters appearing in the play—62 characters who feature amidst continuous changes in space and time between scenes.
Max Estrella on Esperpento: The Concave Mirror
In Scene 12, Valle-Inclán puts the concept of esperpento into Max Estrella’s mouth:
“Classic heroes reflected in concave mirrors yield the Esperpento. The tragic sense of Spanish life can only be rendered through a systematically distorted aesthetic. Spain is a grotesque deformation of European civilization. The most beautiful images in a concave mirror are absurd. Deformation ceases to be arbitrary when subjected to a perfect mathematics. My current aesthetic is to transform classical norms using the mathematics of the concave mirror.”
Critique of Spanish Society
This concept, expressed by Valle-Inclán through the metaphor of the concave mirror, is clear. His criticism of Spanish society at the time accused it of being the most degraded in Europe; he uses the esperpento to articulate this critique.