Social Justice in Spanish Golden Age Theatre
© 2021
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
- Series: Toronto Iberic
- World Rights
- Page Count: 294 pages
- Illustrations: 3
- Dimensions: 6.0in x 1.0in x 9.0in
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Reviews
“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 -
Author Information
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 TeatroIntroduction
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, Knoxville2. Utopian Divorce: El descasamentero by Salas Barbadillo
Tania de Miguel Magro, West Virginia University3. 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 University4. Staging Strikes, Depicting Merchants, and the Morisco Problem in Valencia
Melissa Figueroa, Ohio University5. Notes on an Ethics of Theatricality in Cervantes: El gallardo español and La Numancia
Moisés Castillo, University of Kentucky6. Using Shame and Guilt to Impose Social Injustice in Ana Caro’s El Conde Partinuplés
Jaclyn Cohen-Steinberg, University of Southern CaliforniaPart II: Adaptations
7. A Social Justice Framing of the Comedia: EFE TRES Teatro’s El príncipe ynocente Adaptation
Erin Alice Cowling, MacEwan University8. Systemic Oppression in Morfeo Teatro’s Adaptation and Production of El coloquio de los perros
Glenda Y. Nieto-Cuebas, Ohio Wesleyan University9. El Trato de Argel and the Immigrant Crisis
Mina Garcia, Elon University10. Chirinos and Chanfalla Go to America: Social Justice in Adaptations of El retablo de las maravillas
Charles Patterson, Western Washington University11. 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 CollegePart 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
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Subjects and Courses