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Polemicas Teatrales Del Siglo Xviii En España Y En Inglaterra

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Polemicas Teatrales Del Siglo Xviii En España Y En Inglaterra POLEMICAS TEATRALES DEL SIGLO XVIII EN ESPAÑA Y EN INGLATERRA Tesis doctoral presentada por Gema Vives Rofes. Director: Francisco Lafarga Maduell. Departament d'Humanitats. Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Barcelona. Julio de 2000. 2 INDICE Introducción general ........................................ 4 PRIMERA PARTE I.1. Moratín y Sheridan, hombres de teatro ................. 8 I.2. La comedia nueva ..................................... 16 I.2.1. Don Eleuterio (Los autores; el repertorio) ........... 21 I.2.2. Don Serapio (El público; los actores) ................ 31 I.2.3. Don Pedro. Don Antonio. (La postura de los ilustrados) .......................................... 40 I.2.4. Doña Agustina. Doña Mariquita. Don Hermógenes. (Las moralejas de la obra) ................................ 61 I.2.5. Conclusión ........................................... 64 I.3. The Critic ........................................... 66 I.3.1. Resumen del argumento ................................ 68 I.3.2. Dangle (El público) .................................. 70 I.3.3. Puff. Sir Fretful Plagiary. (El repertorio) .......... 75 I.3.4. Sneer (La polémica) ................................ 84 I.3.5. Conclusión ........................................... 94 I.4. La comedia nueva y The Critic. Similitudes y diferencias .......................................... 96 3 SEGUNDA PARTE II.1. Introducción: la metáfora política y la metáfora climática ......................................... 104 II.2. La crítica literaria de la época en España y en Inglaterra. Ejes en los que puede articularse ..... 119 II.2.1. El sentimiento patriótico ......................... 122 Conclusiones ...................................... 185 II.2.2. La religión ....................................... 189 Conclusiones ...................................... 222 II.2.3. La política ....................................... 223 Conclusiones ...................................... 256 III. Conclusiones generales ............................ 258 Apéndice: Recepción de un elemento foráneo: la ópera italiana en España y en Inglaterra ............... 265 Conclusiones del apéndice ........................ 282 Notas ...................................................... 283 Bibliografía. 304 4 Introducción general La presente tesis doctoral consta de dos partes. En la primera estableceré una comparación entre dos obras metateatrales de finales del siglo XVIII, La comedia nueva de Leandro Fernández de Moratín y The Critic de Richard Brinsley Sheridan, examinándolas en el contexto de las polémicas teatrales que se produjeron durante el siglo XVIII en España y en Inglaterra. Aunque la coincidencia no ha llamado la atención de la crítica, a mi modo de ver merece un breve estudio. Se trata de unas obras que son ejemplo de "teatro sobre el teatro", que fueron escritas por los mejores dramaturgos del siglo dieciocho inglés y español, y que, por sus características y su interés, merecen servirnos de guía para explorar el panorama teatral dieciochesco en estos dos países. En la segunda parte de la tesis me propongo explorar las razones de una discrepancia. En efecto, a pesar de ser muchas las similitudes entre el panorama teatral dieciochesco en España y en Inglaterra, a pesar de ser estos países herederos de una valiosa tradición teatral que tiene puntos de contacto entre sí, y aun siendo muy poderosa en ambos la influencia del clasicismo francés, en España la solución a un panorama que los neoclásicos consideran deplorable se plantea en términos de una "reforma" y esta es auspiciada por el gobierno; en Inglaterra, 5 en cambio, no sucede nada parecido. En esta segunda parte del trabajo, partiré de algunas obras de crítica capitales y, al hilo de los temas que tratan sus autores, examinaré el distinto valor, peso o significado de algunos "telones de fondo" de la crítica inglesa y española de la época --el patriotismo, la religión, la política--, y su relación con el mundo del teatro. Este es un trabajo sobre una época en que el teatro era al mismo tiempo la diversión principal de la población y una de las principales potencias educadoras, algo así como lo que fue el cine para los españoles de los años cincuenta y sesenta. Hoy, a finales del siglo XX, es difícil o imposible amar el teatro, al menos en España: todo --los continuos gritos enfáticos de los actores, analfabetos funcionales de unos textos que no comprenden ni saben decir, la bobalicona ineptitud de unos directores obsesionados con hacer "divertidos" y "actuales" a los autores dramáticos de épocas pasadas, la canalización del talento literario hacia el cine o la novela, es decir, la práctica desaparición del dramaturgo y la escasez de buenas obras de teatro actuales, el empeño de la Administración (al menos en Cataluña) por mantenerlo vivo (o más bien en la UVI) a costa de inyectarle ingentes cantidades de dinero salidas de los bolsillos de los ciudadanos... -- todo contribuye a que muchos lo sientan como algo ajeno e incluso antipático. Solo muy de tarde en tarde, y siempre por azar, el aficionado vivirá la experiencia teatral, que no requiere ni 6 sumas millonarias ni coliseos mastodónticos (la puesta en escena de El despertar de la primavera de Wedekind, realizada en los años setenta por un grupo teatral de jóvenes ("Teatre del Trànsit") en un modesto local de l´Hospitalet de Llobregat, conseguía lo que años después no consiguió Flotats en el Poliorama). Cuando digo experiencia teatral me refiero a una emoción estética --la que puede deparar el teatro-- que no se parece a ninguna otra, que es peculiar a él. Aquel momento un poco mágico en que se levantaba el telón ya no existe: ahora ya no lo hay y, en cualquier caso, el espectador actual reserva para el cine el interés y la ilusión con las que antiguamente se iba al teatro. Hoy acude al teatro --cuando va-- un poco como quien cumple una obligación, obedeciendo unas consignas vagamente culturales y, al final, aplaude dócilmente aunque le hayan dado gato por liebre. Hace doscientos años el público silbaba, pateaba y gritaba además de aplaudir, y no solo al final de la representación, sino durante la misma. La vitalidad del teatro dieciochesco --que quizá era la de los desinhibidos espectadores de entonces-- es una de las cosas que lo hacen atractivo para el estudioso. En fin, como se verá a lo largo del trabajo, el recuento de las polémicas teatrales supone examinar, no solo las teorías estéticas entonces vigentes, sino el engarce de estas con otros factores sociológicos e históricos de gran interés. 7 PRIMERA PARTE 8 I.1. Moratín y Sheridan, hombres de teatro. ¿Fueron hombres de teatro Moratín y Sheridan? Lo fueron y, sin embargo... En ambos casos, la afirmación ha de matizarse. Moratín fue ante todo un espectador de teatro, un gran aficionado al arte de la escena. Julián Marías (1971:102) ha resumido el talante del madrileño en esta frase: "Moratín quería tres cosas: tomar chocolate, ir al teatro todos los días y que lo dejaran en paz." Incluso después de 1814, año de la derrota francesa en la Guerra de la Independencia, durante la etapa final de desplazamientos continuos, privaciones y peligros, acude al teatro siempre que puede. "Voy al teatro irremisiblemente todas las noches", le escribe desde su exilio barcelonés a su amigo Juan Antonio Melón en 1816. (L. F. de Moratín 1973:343) i Leandro Fernández de Moratín había nacido en Madrid en 1760. Fue el único vástago del abogado y escritor Nicolás Fernández de Moratín. El joven Leandro trabajó como joyero, pero su vocación por las letras le hacía buscar un empleo que le proporcionase, según palabras de Silvela, "en pocas horas de trabajo lo estrictamente necesario para mantener la vida y poder dedicar el resto según sus inclinaciones". (Citado por Andioc 1982:9.) Gracias a la influencia de Godoy obtuvo algunas sinecuras, viajó por Europa y pudo estrenar sus primeras obras dramáticas. 9 Moratín escribió poesía, libros de viajes y cientos de excelentes cartas, además de sus obras dramáticas. Al unirse en él la faceta de aficionado al teatro con su carácter esencial de hombre de letrasii , y teniendo en cuenta además que formó parte de la minoría ilustrada que vivió intensamente las polémicas teatrales de la segunda mitad del siglo, no es de extrañar que pusiera su pluma al servicio de la causa que él defendía: sus obras teatrales son, o bien muestras del arte dramático tal y como lo concebían los neoclásicos o (como en La comedia nueva) sátiras del tipo de teatro que gozaba del fervor popular en la época. En un determinado momento, durante su estancia en Inglaterra --donde las funciones de teatro a las que asiste le suscitan las comparaciones y reflexiones recogidas al final de sus Apuntaciones sueltas sobre Inglaterra (1793)--, le tentó quizá intervenir de una manera más directa en la evolución del teatro en España, y le propuso a Godoy un plan de reforma de los teatros, solicitando para sí el puesto de director. Sin embargo, cuando en 1799, al crearse la Junta de Dirección y Reforma de los Teatros, surge la oportunidad de poner en práctica sus ideas, Moratín se inhibe: en carta dirigida a José Antonio Caballero, secretario de Gracia y Justicia, renuncia al puesto de director. Las razones que alega son de temperamento: "El que no tenga la energía, la fortaleza, la constancia que son precisas para luchar con las pasiones de los otros hombres, desarmar sus astucias, corregir los abusos autorizados por el interés y la costumbre y hacerles obedecer a lo que piden la justicia y el orden, despídase de governarlos y no admita jamás encargos para
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