Calderon Y Las Quimeras de la Culpa

En Calder n y las quimeras de la Culpa, Viviana D az Balsera estudia los autos calderonianos a la luz de las modernas teor as sobre la alegor a. Se concentra en los poderes seductores del arte dram tico en los niveles visibles del auto aleg rico y cuestiona de tal modo la generalizada opini n seg n la cual los autos de Calder n armonizan los discursos dram ticos y religiosos que los integran. Por el contrario, sus lecturas de Los encantos de la Culpa, El jard n de Falerina, La nave del Mercader, La vida es sue o y Lo que va del Hombre a Dios revelan una disyunci n entre el sentido literal y po tico por un lado y el religioso-teol gico por el otro. Con esplendidas escenas, f bulas po ticas y elaborada m sica, el auto ir nicamente posee el poder de reproducir la seductiva funci n que ste frecuentemente atribuye al diablo o a las fuerzas del mal. Antes que el dogm tico palad n de la Iglesia Cat lica, el auto resulta conflictivo, ambivalente y conmovedor, participando de los peligros de aquellos placeres sensuales contra los cuales nos previene. Pedro Calderon de la Barca (1600-1681) is generally acknowledged to be the master author of autos sacramentales, one-act pageant plays that usually dramatize the myths of the Fall and Redemption. Since the auto was supervised by both the church and the state, it is typically held to be an art form that serves theology and the dominant powers of the time. Basing her examination of Calderon's autos on modern theories of allegory, Viviana Diaz Balsera focuses on the seductive power of the dramatic, visible level of the allegorical auto and questions the widely held assumption that Calderon's autos harmonize the dramatic and religious discourses that constitute them. In her readings of Los encantos de la Culpa, El jardin de Falerina, La nave del Mercador, La vida es sue o, and Lo que va del Hombre a Dios, she instead finds a disjunction between the literal, poetic level and the religious, theological meaning. With its splendid scenes, poetic fables, and elaborate music, the auto ironically has the potential to reproduce the seductive function it frequently attributes to the Devil and/or the forces of evil. Rather than the dogmatic champion of the Catholic Church, the auto emerges as conflictive, ambivalent, and moving, participating in the very dangers of sensual pleasures it seeks to warn against. Written in Spanish, Caldr n y las quimeras de la Culpa is recommended for scholars and students of Spanish Golden Age literature and those interested in the reception of literary and dramatic works.