The reception of Federico Garcia Lorca and his rural trilogy in the UK and Spain after 1975

[摘要] This dissertation comprises a study of the perceptions of the Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca, and how these have affected people’s view of the poet and his work. Due to the broad nature of this project, the focus will be limited to Lorca’s rural trilogy: Bodas de sangre, Yerma, and La casa de Bernarda Alba; and the study will centre on productions in Spain and the United Kingdom. The scope of this work deals with the different images of Lorca which have developed and evolved before his death in 1936 and after; how different institutions and people have tried to control and manipulate these different images. I use the term ‘image’ here to refer to specific perceptions that people constructed and then projected onto the poet, thereby causing audiences (and at times those who work in the theatre) to view Lorca as: the national icon, specifically one always associated with Spain and Andalusia; the Civil War victim; the Romantic and exotic figure, who has elements of classical Romanticism in his work and has strong associations with the Spanish gypsy; and the gay icon, the most recent image of the poet which has opened up new interpretations of his work. The analysis of these images will be related to a discussion of how they affected the productions of Lorca’s work and their reception of the playwright. An extensive study will be done on Lorca productions in the UK and Spain from 1975 to the present day, and how these productions reflect and construct the many images of Lorca. Audience’s reactions and interpretations of these productions will be analysed using theatre reviews by critics and, when possible, published interviews with those involved with the production.

[发布机构] University:University of Birmingham;Department:School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music, Department of Modern Languages

[关键词] B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion;BH Aesthetics