Luces de Bohemia expresionista: Valle y Káiser

What is it about?

This article examines Expressionism in Valle-Inclán's Bohemian Lights with Georg Kaiser's From Morning to Midnight, comparing their pilgrimage structure with the medieval passion play and the Stations of the Cross. Similarities between the two works suggest that the protagonists are modern Christ figures, for whom no redemption is possible. Thus, this structure forms part of the works' grotesque view of modernity.

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Why is it important?

This article's contribution to the field of Valle-Inclán and Expresssionism is that it compares the compares the structure of Luces de Bohemia and an expressionist play, which took their episodic structure from the passion play and the stations of the cross, This highlights the Christological aspects of the works, and looking at some other less discussed aspects of Expressionism and the esperpento, such as telegraphic language and moaning, which are also secular manifestations of the suffering of Christ, implying the martyrdom of modern man and the impossibility of redemption in the modern age.