Pedro Salinas' Theater of Self-Authentication (American University Studies)

This analysis examines the theater of Pedro Salinas, twentieth-century poet and critic, in relation to his lyric prose, novels, and essays. Orringer argues that his plays emerge as a panorama of quests for individual identity amid the deceptive appearances of the world. Active imagination marks Salinas' protagonists, whether they are facing adversity, fighting evil, or pursuing compassion. Surprising coincidences, catalytic agents which speed the action, and a new aesthetic order of reality, which Salinas calls «sure chance,» distinguish his theater from his other works. With new rigor, relationships are established between Salinas as a dramatic experimenter, and authors such as Cervantes, Calderón, and Unamuno.