Larra vs. El Jorobado: la sociedad española y el debate sobre la obra Antony (1836)

Abstract

Through the years many critics have caught glimpses of early nineteenthcentury Spanish society through the comments and opinions expressed by contemporary observers such as Mesonero Romanos, Larra, Estebanez Calderon and others. These authors have contributed substantially to our understanding of the concerns and fears of the Spanish inteligentsia who confronted an everevolving system; especially significant was their view of the post-Fernandine period when Spanish politics and society were reassessing their values. While some conservative, nineteenth-century writers generally limited their comments to costumbrist depictions of the world, others, like Larra, took advantage of events, both social and political, to expound a radically different point of view. For Larra the theater provided frequent opportunities to discuss his feelings concerning the development or desintegration of Spanish society. Robert Scari observes, El proposito idealista y muy romantico de todo ello es instruir al publico, hacer del teatro lo que no era en su epoca, segun el ensayista: un manantial de valores morales convertidos en verdades accesibles , concretas y convincentes, mediante el arte del dramaturgo y la inagotable fuerza persuasiva de la representacion (160). Not always were the works lauded by Larra for their moral message. On occasion Figaro condemned works for blatantly encouraging immoral behavior. An excellent case in point is the representation of Antony and the two articles written by Larra on June 23 and 25, 1836 in response to the plays debut. However, more interesting than Larra's articles are two pieces published in the Jorobado, a short-lived satirical newspaper, that provide an alternative view of Antony and an enlightening perspective of Larra and his work.