Social Justice in Spanish Golden Age Theatre

by Erin Cowling (Editor), Tania de Miguel Magro (Editor), Mina Garcia Jord n (Editor), Glenda Y. Nieto-Cuebas (Editor)

Overview

This collection of original new essays focuses on the many ways in which early modern Spanish plays engaged their audiences in a dialogue about abuse, injustice, and inequality. Far from the traditional monolithic view of theatrical works as tools for expanding ideology, these essays each recognize the power of theatre in reflecting on issues related to social justice. The first section of the book focuses on textual analysis, taking into account legal, feminist, and collective bargaining theory. The second section explores issues surrounding theatricality, performativity, and intellectual property laws through an analysis of contemporary adaptations. The final section reflects on social justice from the practitioners’ point of view, including actors and directors.

Social Justice in Spanish Golden Age Theatre reveals how adaptations of classical theatre portray social justice and how throughout history the writing and staging of comedias has been at the service of a wide range of political agendas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781487525286
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	02/02/2021
Series:	Toronto Iberic
Pages:	294
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Erin Alice Cowling is an assistant professor of Spanish in the Department of Humanities at MacEwan University.
Tania de Miguel Magro is an associate professor of Spanish at West Virginia University.
Mina Garcia Jordán is an associate professor of Spanish at Elon University.
Glenda Y. Nieto-Cuebas is an associate professor of Modern Foreign Languages at Ohio Wesleyan University

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword
Fernando Villa Proal, EFE TRES Teatro

Introduction

Part I: Readings of Comedias

1. The Poetics of Tragedy and Justice in Vélez de Guevara’s La serrana de la Vera
Harrison Meadows, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

2. Utopian Divorce: El descasamentero by Salas Barbadillo
Tania de Miguel Magro, West Virginia University

3. The Voice of the Voiceless: Toward Equality and Social Justice in Sor Juana’s El mártir del sacramento and El divino Narciso
Francisco López-Martín, Denison University

4. Staging Strikes, Depicting Merchants, and the Morisco Problem in Valencia
Melissa Figueroa, Ohio University

5. Notes on an Ethics of Theatricality in Cervantes: El gallardo español and La Numancia
Moisés Castillo, University of Kentucky

6. Using Shame and Guilt to Impose Social Injustice in Ana Caro’s El Conde Partinuplés
Jaclyn Cohen-Steinberg, University of Southern California

Part II: Adaptations

7. A Social Justice Framing of the Comedia: EFE TRES Teatro’s El príncipe ynocente Adaptation
Erin Alice Cowling, MacEwan University

8. Systemic Oppression in Morfeo Teatro’s Adaptation and Production of El coloquio de los perros
Glenda Y. Nieto-Cuebas, Ohio Wesleyan University

9. El Trato de Argel and the Immigrant Crisis
Mina Garcia, Elon University

10. Chirinos and Chanfalla Go to America: Social Justice in Adaptations of El retablo de las maravillas
Charles Patterson, Western Washington University

11. Social Networks, Social Justice, and the People’s Right to the Golden Age Canon: The SGAE or the comedia Villain of the Digital Age?
Elena García Martín, North Central College

Part III: Interviews

Ben Gunter, Dramaturg and Director, Theater with a Mission, Mission San Luis, Tallahassee, Florida

Harley Erdman, Professor, Dramaturg, Adaptor, and Translator of Early Modern Theater and Gina Kaufmann, Associate Professor, Director, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Sandra Arpa and Paula Rodríguez, Founders, Actresses, and Directors, Teatro Inverso, Spain

Fernando Villa Proal and Allan Flores, Founders and Directors, EFE TRES Teatro, Mexico City

Ian Borden, Associate Professor of Theater Studies, Johnny Carson School of Theater and Film, University of Nebraska

Natalia Menéndez, Former Director, Almagro International Classical Theater Festival, Spain

What People are Saying About This

Bruce Burningham

“Social Justice in Spanish Golden Age Theatre is a very timely book, given recent push back among certain sectors of the population in terms of the social justice achievements made during the past 60 years. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of what used to be called Spanish 'Golden Age' theatre, as well as anyone working on pan-European early modern theatre or those interested more generally in social justice issues.”

Manuel Delgado

“Focusing on current and past social justice issues, Social Justice in Spanish Golden Age Theatre is a highly original collection of essays dealing with a variety of Golden Age plays, as well as with the contemporary staging of these plays and with the artistic input of theatre directors and adapters. This volume effectively engages modern readers and spectators in issues that transcend pure speculation. The arguments presented are articulate, insightful, clear, and convincing. The analysis takes into consideration relevant and meaningful bibliographical sources on current social justice issues related to social class, gender, Native Americans, distributive / commutative justice, Moriscos, farm workers, and the enemy/other. In their analysis of works by Cervantes, Vélez de Guevara, Salas Barbadillo, Gaspar de Aguilar, Lope de Vega, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the authors of these critical essays shed new light on the ethical attitudes and thoughts of the aforementioned dramatists.”

Editorial Reviews

"The range and quality of the essays is impressive, as are the variety of approaches and points of emphasis."

—E. H. Friedman, Vanderbilt University, CHOICE

"Focusing on current and past social justice issues, Social Justice in Spanish Golden Age Theatre is a highly original collection of essays dealing with a variety of Golden Age plays, as well as with the contemporary staging of these plays and with the artistic input of theatre directors and adapters. This volume effectively engages modern readers and spectators in issues that transcend pure speculation. The arguments presented are articulate, insightful, clear, and convincing. The analysis takes into consideration relevant and meaningful bibliographical sources on current social justice issues related to social class, gender, Native Americans, distributive / commutative justice, Moriscos, farm workers, and the enemy/other. In their analysis of works by Cervantes, Vélez de Guevara, Salas Barbadillo, Gaspar de Aguilar, Lope de Vega, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the authors of these critical essays shed new light on the ethical attitudes and thoughts of the aforementioned dramatists."—Manuel Delgado, Department of Spanish, Bucknell University
"Social Justice in Spanish Golden Age Theatre is a very timely book, given recent push back among certain sectors of the population in terms of the social justice achievements made during the past 60 years. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of what used to be called Spanish ‘Golden Age’ theatre, as well as anyone working on pan-European early modern theatre or those interested more generally in social justice issues."—Bruce Burningham, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Illinois State University

From the Publisher

"The range and quality of the essays is impressive, as are the variety of approaches and points of emphasis."

CHOICE - E. H. Friedman