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Page 3
It was the Quinteros who started the now declining fashion of
"andalucismo" on the stage, but they were also the first to work away
from it. The _pasos de comedia_ are short pieces, but they are
differentiated from the _sainete_ type by the station of the dramatis
personae, who are not of the working class. They speak Castilian, not
Andalusian, the scene is laid farther north, and the interest is sought
in fine psychology, instead of popular manners. _Ma�ana de sol_ (1905)
contains a delicate mingling of philosophy and humor with the faintest
suggestion of pathos, and the same qualities appear in _A la luz de la
luna_ (1908), as fanciful and dainty as one of De Musset's
_Proverbes_. _El agua milagrosa_ (1908) is a delightful revelation
of human nature, and _El �ltimo cap�tulo_ (1910) equals it in shrewd
psychological observation. Such dramatic pictures as these are a permanent
and worthy addition to Spanish literature.
So much cannot always be said for the more ambitious flights of the
Quinteros. Many times they have tried comedy on a large scale, and
tragic figures are not lacking in their long list of created characters,
but their success has not been uniform in the broader field. In it are
to be found marks of haste in construction, the inevitable harvest of
intellects not allowed to lie fallow, and even of concession to popular
applause. When they are content with observation or satire they are
supreme, as in the interesting _zarzuela_, _El estreno_ (1900), a vivid
glimpse behind the scenes at a "first night"; and in _El amor en el
teatro_ (1902) and _El amor en solfa_ (1905), which exhibit the
love-scene as it is rendered in various types of play and opera. But
when the authors grow serious they approach the danger line, for it is
then that a tendency to sentimentality shows unpleasantly at times,
which in the purely objective studies serves only to cast a glow of
poetry. The public, too, has been overcritical with its favorite
funmakers whenever they have tried to convince it that their talent is
not confined to provoking laughter; their future has been to a certain
extent circumscribed by past successes, and they are not granted a fair
hearing. So one must set down as unsuccessful attempts at high comedy or
drama _La dicha ajena_ (1902), _La musa loca_ (1905), _La casa
de Garc�a_ (1904), and _La zagala_ (1904), the last two with almost
tragic endings; perhaps even _Malvaloca_ (1912), in spite of its lofty
aim and generous teaching. _Los Galeotes_ (1900) is too well rounded
and solid a play to be included in the same category. In _El amor que
pasa_ (1904) we are shown the longing for a finer life which may beset
sensitive womankind in a provincial town. _La escondida senda_ (1908)
sings the praises of quiet country life; _Do�a Clarines_ (1909) is a
character study of much power and truth. _El genio alegre_ (1906),
flooded in southern sunshine and perfume, is truly a hymn to the joy of
living, and it is the favorite in Spain of all the long plays. A remarkable
piece of dramatic technic is _La flor de la vida_ (1910), a three-act
play in which only two characters take part. The conflict between the lure
of the stage and the attraction of the home in a woman's heart was never
stated more clearly or more logically left unsolved than in _Pepita
Reyes_ (1903), a very perfect piece of work. Still, the most finished of
all the longer efforts is _Las flores, comedia en tres actos_ (1901).
The plot is so simple that it will scarcely bear analysis, but the
setting is so redolent of flowers and shot through with light, the
dialog so restrained and suggestive, the characters so well studied,
that one feels in this play the inevitableness of a masterpiece. An
artist compared it to a painting of Vel�zquez, in that the authors
sketched with the fewest possible strokes an epitome of Andalusian life.
Here there is much sentiment, but no sentimentality. _Las flores_ was
coldly received by both audience and critics at its first performance,
but since then the latter, at least, have made ample amends.[E]
[Footnote E: _Las flores_ has been highly praised by R. Altamira,
J.O. Pic�n, and other esteemed Spanish writers. Manuel Bueno, by no means
partial to the Quinteros, speaks of it as "una de las obras m�s bellas,
intensas y veraces del teatro espa�ol contempor�neo".]
The lyric quality predominates in other plays beside _Las flores_;
notably in _La rima eterna_ (1910), which is an expansion and
interpretation of a famous _Rima_ of B�cquer, and a worthy tribute to
his memory. The Quinteros have not acquired fame as versifiers, perhaps
because their extraordinary power of visualizing characters made them
dramatists instead, but their interest in poets is as obvious as the
poetic quality of their thought. B�cquer is the favorite, and Campoamor
and Luis de Le�n have furnished texts for certain plays, while one,
_Malvaloca_, is inspired by an Andalusian _copla_.
A word as to the language employed by the Quinteros. Southerners
themselves, they revel in the Andalusian speech forms, and few of their
plays do not contain one or two characters who use them. To those who
love the soft accent of Seville and Cadiz, this will prove no draw-back,
but an added charm. Yet when one reflects that writings in dialect, even
if they are the work of a Goldoni, cannot fail to drop soon out of the
current of active literary influence, it is much to be regretted that
such remarkable compositions as _Las flores_, _El patio_ and the racy
_sainetes_ are doomed to pass quickly from the stage on that account
alone.
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