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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1974 Antifeminism in Selected Works of Enrique Jardiel Poncela. Carlo Di maio Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Di maio, Carlo, "Antifeminism in Selected Works of Enrique Jardiel Poncela." (1974). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 2603. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/2603 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. 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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 74-24,771 DI MAIO, Carlo, 1939- ANTIFEMINISM IN SELECTED TORKS OF ENRIQUE JARDIEL PONCELA. [Portions o£ Text in Spanish] The Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Ph.D., 1974 Language and Literature, modem I University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED. ANTIFEMINISM IN SELECTED VORKS OF ENRIQUE JARDIEL PONCELA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Foreign Languages by Carlo Di Maio B.A., Louisiana State University, 1966 M.A., Louisiana State University, 1968 May, 1974 EXAMINATION AND THESIS REPORT Candidate: Carlo Di Maio Major Field: Spanish Title of Thesis: ANTIFEMINISM IN SELECTED WORKS OF ENRIQUE JARDIEL PONCELA Approved: ajor Professor and Chairman Dean of the Graduate School EXAMINING COMMITTEE: ~ ^ d y\ 1 0 .-- —- Date of Examination: 23 April 1974 RICONOSCIMENTO L'autore di questo studio espressa la sua ricono- scenza al Professor Santiago Vilas ed al Professor Harry L® Kirby, Jr. per i suggerimenti ricevuti durante lo svolgimento. La spinta definitiva, peri, mi £ stata data dalla mia bimba, Lara Adria, i cui innocenti sorrisi mi servirono di medicina per il compimento di questo studio. ii TABLE OP CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENT . .................................. ii ABSTRACT ............. ............... ........... Vi INTRODUCTION ................................... 1 Chapter I LITERARY CHARACTERIZATION OF JARDIEL PONCELA .................................... 10 a. The Authors ........................ 11 b. The Actors ........................ 14 c. The Critics ........................ 15 d. Jardiel Poncela and His Concept of "Humorismo" . ...................... 19 e. A Critical Evaluation of Jardiel P o n c e l a ............................ 25 II WOMEN IN THE LIFE AND THOUGHT OF JARDIEL PONCELA .................................... 35 III THE ANTIFEMINIST ELEMENT IN THE NOVELS OF JARDIEL PONCELA ...................... 74 a. Lustful Aspect of Women ........... 76 b. Untruthful Aspect of W o m e n ...... 81 c. Natural Inferiority Aspect of Women . 84 d. Unfaithful Aspect of Women ......... 90 e. Troublesome Aspect of Women , . 93 f. Degrading Aspect of the Sexual Act . 97 iii Page f. Materialistic Aspect of Women ..... 102 g. Domineering Aspect of Wo m e n ............ 105 h. Capricious and Frivolous Aspect of W o m e n .................................... 107 i. Vain Aspect of W o m e n ................... 109 j. Violent Aspect of W o m e n .................Ill k. Beastly Aspect of Women .................112 1. Masochistic and Sadistic Aspect of W o m e n .................................... 115 m. Miscellaneous ........................... 116 n. "La "tournee" de Dios"...............120 IV ANTIFEMINIST ELEMENTS IN THE THEATER OF JARDIEL PONCELA ............................. 131 a. "Una noche de primavera sin suefio". .134 b. "El cad&ver del sehor Garcia" .......... 136 c. "Margarita, Armando y su padre" . .138 d. "Usted tiene ojos de mujer fatal" . .142 e. "Angelina o el honor de un brigadier". .146 f. "Un adulterio decente" ................. 150 g. "Las cinco advertencias de Satanas" . • 153 h. "Un marido de ida y v u e l t a " ............ 156 i. "El amor solo dura 2.000 metros" . 158 j. "Madre (el drama p a d r e ) " ...............165 k. "Blanca por fuera y Rosa por dentro". .166 iv Page 1. "Tti y yo somos t r e s " .............. 170 m. "Como me^jor me gustan las rubias es con patatas" ...................... 173 CONCLUSIONS ...................................... 177 BIBLIOGRAPHY . ............... 182 APPENDIX I ..................................... 187 APPENDIX I I ..................................... 196 APPENDIX I I I ................. 199 VITA .............................. 210 v ABSTRACT The present study is an attempt to discover and to explain antifeminist traits in the novels and selected plays of the Spanish humorist Enrique Jardiel Poncela (1901-1952). Though antifeminism is not an infrequent occurrence in a literary work, particularly in a patriarchal society such as that of Spain, it is indeed unusual that a writer should he so completely dedicated to this cause. From Amor se escribe sin hache, his first important novel, to La “tournee” de Dios, his last, the antifeminist element is the most consistent theme, and none of the feminine characters escape the bitter attacks of the author. In spite of Jardiel Poncela's insistence to the contrary, the same antifeminist tendency is also discernible in his theater, though on a lesser scale. The analysis of thirteen plays treated in Chapter II reveals the presence of considerable hostility toward women; if the intensity of such a hostility appears negligible when compared to that of his novels, the underlying causes must be found not in the author's conscious attempt to re-evaluate his feelings, but in the very nature of the theatrical genre. It is doubtful that the theater-going public, with its v i sensitivity sui generis, would have tolerated unwarranted attacks on women--attacks which were purely personal in nature. However light and inconsequential the antifeminist theme might appear at first in his theater, its presence is, nevertheless, unmistakable, and the author's humorous treatment of it to avoid shocking consequences is nothing short of masterful. Freud maintained that wit is often an indirect means of expressing drives which cannot be expressed directly and that hostile and obscene wit are substitutes for overt sexual activity and hostility respectively. Therefore, there can be little doubt that Jardiel Poncela's humorous treatment of female vices contains undercurrents of seriousness. There are several possible explanations for the author's display of hostility toward women. One might be sexual guilt which, in a male, has its beginning in early childhood experiences with his mother. From several of Jardiel's autobiographical sketches, it can be determined that his mother exercised a vital influence over him which he rejected outright. There are records indicating that the author sought the advice of a psycho­ analyst and that the possibility of an Oedipus complex was clearly suggested as a motivating factor impelling vii him to display antifeminist tendencies. In a patriarchal society such as Spain, most men would rather not be in a position to compete with women in their profession and, since the motives for such an attitude are too selfish to be openly admitted, they are likely to be rationalized. Most women in Jardiel Poncela*s works, for example, are attacked on the basis

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