Ramón del Valle-Inclán (1866-1936) was undoubtedly the most
controversial literary figure of his generation. Whilst his genius was
recognised by fellow writers, the reading public was slow to accept his
work, and his theatre taxed directors and audiences alike. One of the
harshest criticisms levelled against him concerned his use of
repetition. This study shows how the reuse, recycling and development of
material becomes one of the hallmarks of Valle-Inclán's writing during
the first three decades of his literary career, linking one genre with
another and blurring the borders between different aesthetics. The
repetition of themes and motifs, characters and stylistic devices
reveals an underlying interdependence among works that on the surface
appear unconnected or even contradictory.
Many of Valle-Inclán's works have been studied in isolation, rather than
as pieces of a whole. This book examines the elements that provide
significant links in his writing between 1889 and 1922, most of which
shares the common backdrop of Galicia, and demonstrates that apparently
unrelated works are part of a larger picture. Despite changes in
perspective and genre, there are constants that relate individual works
to those that precede and follow, creating a unifying pattern of
continuity.