Subtitulo: The Recent Plays of Buero Vallejo (from 'La Fundacion' to 'Musica cercana')

Description:
This study of the recurrent symbol of the prison (jail cell, cayman jaws, labyrinth ...) and the use of the myth of Theseus provides a new perspective on Buero Vallejo’s theatre. In her reading of Buero’s tragedies, Martha Halsey draws attention to the constant allusions to immurement, entrapment and impasse, but also argues that the symbol of the prison carries within it the idea of reversibility: prison walls imply an exit and the writer’s purspose is to show his audience this exit. This dialectic of freedom is central to Buero’s work since his tragic vision never excludes hope and the prospect of change. Professor Halsey examines the opposing sets of symbols that often establish the dialectical structure of Buero’s plays and reflect his dynamic view of history. The writer emerges not only as the intransigent realist he is usually considered to be, but also as a visionary.

This book offers an analysis of Buero’s seven most recent plays: La Fundación, La detonación, Jueces en la noche, Caimán, Diálogo secreto, Lázaro en el laberinto and Música cercana.


CONTENTS:

Preface......7

Chapter I. Introduction......9

Chapter II: Major plays of the Franco era: an overview......30

Chapter III: Dialectic, tragedy, and symbolism......61

Chapter IV: La Fundacion: prison and the prison dream......81

Chapter V. La detonacion: masks and façades......101

Chapter VI: Jueces en la noche: guilt as jailer......130

Chapter VII. Caiman: the captive will......161

Chatper VIII: Dialogo secreto: crime as dungeon......184

Chapter IX: Lazaro en el laberinto: the maze of memory......211

Chapter X: Musica cercana: the trap of time......235

Chapter XI: Conclusion......256

Selected bibliography (1974-1992)......291