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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 Il 75- 15,251 COLLINS, Mary Julia Brown, 1947- NEO-RCMANTICISM IN ALEJANDRO CASONA. The University of Oklahoma, Ph.D., 1974 Language and Literature, modem Xerox University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48io8 0 1975 MARY JULIA BROWN COLLINS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED. THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA. GRADUATE COLLEGE NEO-ROMANTICISM IN ALEJANDRO CASONA A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree o f DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY BY MARY JULIA BROWN COLLINS Norman, Oklahoma 197% NEO-ROI-IANTICISM IH ALEJAHDRO CASONA APPROVED BY DISSERTATION COMMITTEE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is extremely difficult to thank adequately the members of my doctoral committee for their guidance and assistance during the prepara­ tion of this dissertation. I would especially like to pay tribute to Dr. James H. Abbott, my graduate advisor and the director of my disser­ tation, for the many helpful suggestions and incisive comments which he had to offer. Were it not for his dedication, support, confidence, en­ couragement, and gentle prodding, I would have had a much more difficult time during the writing of this dissertation. I am also deeply indebted to the other members of my doctoral committee for their suggestions and comments : Dr. Lowell Dunham, Dr. Jim Artman, Dr. Seymour Feiler, and Dr. Besse Clement. Without the kind assistance of all of these profes­ sors, the completion of this dissertation would have been impossible. Also, the preparation of the manuscript owes much to the careful typing and diligent proofreading of Loretta Nickel. Finally, I must thank my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Allen S. Brown, Jr. Both of them have been a continued source of inspiration to me throughout ny life. I would never have aspired to such high goals had it not been for their love and constant encouragement. It is they alone who are responsible for ry success. Similarly, were it not for the i i i understanding support given to me by my husband Michael, it would have been most difficult to complete the manuscript. Words cannot express the devotion and love I have for my parents and my husband, nor the gra­ titude I feel. It is therefore to them that I dedicate this dissertation. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I . TWENTIETH CENTURY SPANISH THEATER .... 1 I I . REALITY AND IL L U SIO N .............................................lU III. DREAMS............................................................................29 IV. F A T E ................................................................................ Ul V. THE DEVIL . ...............................................................50 VI. DEATH................................................................................ 6k V II. WORLD OF THE S P IR IT .................................................71 V III. EDUCATION, SOCIETY, AND WOMAN..............................77 IX. HUMANITARIANISM..........................................................90 X. CONCLUSION...................................................................97 APPENDIX ................................................................................... 101 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................... 110 NEO-ROMANTICISM IN ALEJANDRO CASONA CHAPTER I TWENTIETH CENTURY SPANISH THEATER Since its very inception, Spanish literature has heen character­ ized by dualistic tendencies, a fact inextricably related to the coexis­ tence of literary movements throughout Spanish history. For example, while Spain tenaciously adhered to Middle Ages traditions, the Renaissance dawned elsewhere and its ideas began to infiltrate Spain. \Then th is re ­ vival definitively arrived in Spain, the result was a panorama of diamet­ rically opposed coetaneous values. Spaniards preserved select literary traditions and beliefs of the passing era at the same time that they were incorporating characteristics of the current one, often resulting in vio­ lent contrasts which were to become firmly embedded in the Spanish psyche. Such a situation is not peculiar to one epoch, but can be traced throughout Spanish history. A case in question is the Baroque period in seventeenth century Spain. Here dualistic characteristics are particu­ larly evident. Not only do Renaissance traits exist concurrently with Baroque excesses, they are at the same time modified by them. Thus, a 1 2 clash "between opposing values "becomes the rule rather than the exception. Ideally Spaniards felt that they had a divine mission to rule the world and spread the doctrines of Catholicism; such was the case during the reign of Carlos V. However, at the time when the Baroque arose sixteenth century values had all but disintegrated, Spain had lost her once legion power, her lands and people were wasted, the country was financially ruined. Spaniards, unable to cope with such a devastating and demoral­ izing situation, feigned the ostentation they once rightfully claimed, deluding themselves in the belief that their country would once again rule the world. Contrasts between opposing values, first seen in the Middle Age - Renaissance conflict, reappeared in the Baroque: real versus ideal, subjectivism versus objectivism, with the result here being a vir­ tual bursting forth of excesses and pretensions. The nineteenth century Romantic movement in Spain is another illustration of dualistic tendencies. A composite of various ages. Ro­ manticism owes a good part of its emphasis on individualism to the rise of the middle class at the end of the Middle Ages as well as to Renais­ sance and Golden Age ideals. Similarly Romanticism is but an extension of the Baroque: just as the latter was a reaction to the objective, generalizing nature of Classicism, so too was Romanticism a reaction to Neo-Classicism. For a time, reason and emotion, the ego and the non-ego, existed side by side. Fortunately or not for Spain, Neo-Classicism had never really taken root and Spain s till basically held on to Golden Age ideals, values, and excesses, more in keeping with her individualistic nature. In this sense, she was already predisposed to the Romantic move­ ment before it arrived on the Spanish scene. The contraposition of 3 Neo-Classical norms with the Spanish psyche, a composite of Renaissance and Baroque individualism and rebellion, produced Romanticism. Although the names may vary from age to age, the tendencies seem to remain con­ stant, thus giving rise to new movements formed of opposing values and t r a i t s . The twentieth century is no different from the rest of Spanish history. This point is especially valid in the field of drama, not only in the years following the Spanish Civil War but also in the pre-war era. we can see that the Spanish dramatists of today are the heirs of a tension composed of a belief in the value of uncom­ promising idealism and a realization of its usefulness; of a belief and a pride in the uniqueness and superiority of Spain and a realization of its backwardness in contrast to the rest of the Western world.1 Throughout this century, literature has been a product of the creative tension between old and new tendencies, as is aptly manifested by note­ worthy w riters, among them the dramatist Alejandro Casona. However, an understanding of twentieth centuiy dramatic development is essential to the comprehension of Casona's place among his contemporaries. Therefore, a division of this era into periods, however arbitrary the classifications may be, reveals definite patterns: 1900 until the advent of the so-called

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