Bodas de Sangre
(Blood Wedding)
by Federico García Lorca
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
I read Federico García Lorca's 1932 play, Bodas de Sangre, this past semester for my Literary Criticism Spanish class and didn't like it. The play is essentially about a love triangle that develops between the three main characters - el Novio (fiancé/groom), la Novia (fiancée/bride), and Leonardo. El Novio and la Novia are engaged to be married but la Novia is in love with Leonardo. Despite la Novia's supposedly genuine attempt to follow through with her marriage to el Novio, things go terribly wrong on their wedding day. While I can admit and appreciate that this play does have many laudable literary characteristics and was probably a good piece of literature for the purpose of the class, I just didn't like it. I'm not generally a fan of reading plays anyway* so maybe that added to my dislike of it. It also may be because I find its content to be a bit, in my opinion, outdated? Or at the very least, not relatable for me, personally. I think I connect most with literature when I can relate to the characters and their experiences. In addition, the play was a bit too pessimistic and violent for my taste. I found it hard to sympathize with la Novia despite her and Lorca's insistence on the role of sino (fate) in the events of the play.
However, as I've mentioned, there were plenty of redeeming qualities that make this work a valuable piece of literature, if not an extremely enjoyable one to read. For one, it paints a good picture of the social dynamics of rural Andalucía, the southernmost region of Spain, in the 1930's. It depicts the difficulty of life during that time due to the severe heat and dryness, as well as the violence prevalent in the region. The traditional gender roles of the time are also clearly differentiated. From the very first scene, Lorca shows that men dominate in the violent world outside the home while women are the hardworking masters of the domestic realm. Bodas de Sangre is a rich and lasting piece of this culture. The literary aspect of this play is also impressive. It is teeming with symbols, imagery, foreshadowing, and dramatic irony. And this side of the play is where I get the 2.5 stars. I'll take away 50% of the stars because I didn't enjoy reading it but I'll give it 50% because it really is an important piece of Spanish literature.
If you do want or have to read the play for some reason, I highly suggest the edition pictured above with Allen Josephs and Juan Caballero as the editors. It is an annotated edition which is VERY helpful with understanding all of the literary devices and such that I mentioned above. Especially if you are reading it in Spanish and that is not your native language, the footnotes will help tremendously.
"CRIADA: ¡Pero niña! ¿Una boda, qué es? Una boda es esto y nada más. ¿Son los dulces? ¿Son los ramos de flores? No. Es una cama relumbrante y un hombre y una mujer" (119).
"MAID: But child! A wedding, what is it? A wedding is this and nothing more. Is it sweets? Is it bouquets of flowers? No. It is a dazzling bed and a man and a woman" (119).
COMING SOON: A review of the other big piece of literature I read for that class, Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) by Laura Esquivel.
*On a side note, my favorite play I've read to date and one of the few I've actually liked was Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare. I highly suggest reading it and/or watching the movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment