• Iberoamérica
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.25-52
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• 2019

Esperpento denotes a literary style in Spanish literature first established by Spanish author Ramón María del Valle Inclán that uses distorted descriptions of reality in order to criticize society. And esperpento's narrative strategy is similar in many ways to Mikhail Bakhtin's carnivalism. Especially Valle Inclán's first esperpentic theatre, Luces de Bohemia contained various carnivalistic elements of Bakhtin. The various techniques of Valle Inclán's esperpento used in Luces de Bohemia can be explained by Bachchin's carnivalist techniques. Therefore, this paper aims to re-examine the esperpentic techniques in Luces de Bohemia of Valle Inclán in terms of Bakhchin's carnivalism. Because the esperpentic tecniques of this play pursue the subversion of power or authority through the carnivalistic aspects such as polyphony, subversion of seriousness, parody, grotesque realism, plaza, ambivalence, anomalous structure of space, time and plot, etc. Esperpento and carnivalism serve as a tool to interpret the social reality, beyond criticism and satire of Spanish society. The characters act passively on all the external factors that determine human destiny, rather than actively carving their own destiny like the classic heroes. Modern man cannot defy or control the external situation of the modern civilization. So they are tragic. In this situation, the protagonist of the tragedy who challenges reality disappears and a puppet figure like Max Estrella, the protagonist of the Luces de Bohemia, takes his place on a satirical level. This is the satire and the true meaning of carnivalistic humor that Valle Inclán tried in his play.