um Illlll m mu m um um III! III! ”111111111 Kw 5g! 3 1293 1011 I! Arm n :' MO but "’:P v: nus-tabLSt' was :'r . ‘ 513$, wf‘lcr‘ d u 1 ‘Vfi‘ . FH‘FI ‘ visina, diS‘ £13 carear. "3 3:31, Sitar-m S ~ influence m 3-116: Lat: re- ~n faver :53: ‘ht‘ge ‘ S and \ ‘3?“ x. are ‘1 QLSC NW 5 Of ‘ Se: . “tlr‘ ABSTRACT THE THEATRE OF ARMANDO MOOCK BY Allaire Verde Schlicher Armando Moock Bousquet (1894-1942), Chilean diplomat and dramatist, was one of the first writers of his country to be- come a successful, professional playwright. His first dozen pflays, which date from 1914 to 1919, the year he went to Ingentina, display characteristics which persist throughout Ids career. These characteristics include a bourgeois environ- nent, strong sentimentality, and "costumbrismo," which reflect the influence of French and Spanish plays then popular in Chile and other Latin American countries. There is also a stress on realism which is enhanced by numerous biographical accents. At this early stage in his career his themes revolve around the financial survival of widows and their children, social injustice, the conflicts rising out of social prejudices vfiuch favor professionals and look with disfavor upon literary careers, and the effort to rise on the social ladder. The ad- vantages and disadvantages of rural and urban life, and YOUng love are also treated. Most of Moock's plays were written after he moved to Argentina. He continued using the traditional modes, but during «11,: rest of his ' 2.2211 current £4 5 imatic te sen-t briefly wi‘ . q ‘ . ~ $322015 lnsplft Ayn- .lznsicn into 2. at; novel meth- iLL- L'ne imagin; 2022:3525, and 5 51:1“. dramatic tr: withn a play, a U36 mterior mom 36 also employed 15:, and the gro Z'he environ: rig-mum, Conti w “<5 featured c" rL;;‘ : . milieu . U». 54:”; ‘ 2pm . V“it:‘ ,. (8| hls t] I IIIII Allaire Verde Schlicher L0 the rest of his life he also experimented with most of the then current European trends in drama. A desire to improve Ids dramatic technique and style led Armando Moock to experi- nent briefly with naturalistic plays. He also made use of symbols inSpired by nature to inject a poetic and aesthetic dimension into basically realistic plays. He experimented with novel methods of staging, creating expressionistic effects with the imaginative use of lights, shadows, startling color contrasts, and scenic designs. In some plays Moock drew on such dramatic techniques as the play within a play or a novel within a play, a realistic/dream or realistic/drunk sequence, the interior monologue, and the convention of the confidant. He also employed features of the commedia dell'arte, expression— ism, and the grotesque. The environment of the plays, which Moock wrote in Argentina, continued to be thoroughly middle-class, and his works featured characters, values, and problems typical of that milieu. A concentration on social tepics might lead one to expect a representation of political, historical, or economic themes, but Moock focused upon individual rather than group problems. His themes in the twenties and later dealt with physical unattractiveness, the infidelity of women, the desire for motherhood, the lack of strength in male figures, and the need for sex education. 'Problems of heredity, hypocrisy and moral corruption also interested him. The dramatist's characters are life-like human beings who 1. display a degree of psychological development. Most successfully . H"?! I{_ - islizeated are L :as‘: in the Cas; :ha: sters are '. 5:33;: to marry, .taei mother. 3- ;:zzagenLSLS we: 53:9, movativ eatrzcted subje :E «‘4.\ . auutd nls cl: (.2. 3 t. . clent for ‘:3‘ 3?” '§ .5 OJ. ma“ I “:n u :«k . ‘-¢_ :1ch t.“ Allaire Verde Schlicher ckflineated are the male personalities, and particularly those cast in the Caspar Milquetoast image. Among Moock's unusual characters are the nymphomaniac, the priest who leaves the church to marry, the husband with venereal disease, and the unwed mother. Half a century ago when the plays with these {antagonists were written, the themes they involved were avant- garde, innovative, even taboo. Today, of course, these once restricted subjects are treated more openly. A concern years ago for individual rights and the freedom of females to express themselves independently also makes the dramatist an early advocate of feminine rights. Over the years Armando Moock developed a simple, unpre- tentious vocabulary, swift-moving dialogue and action, and perceptive, masterful characterizations. To these qualities he added his gifts for irony, gentle satire, refreshing humor, and a talent for creating comic situations. His themes, al- though usually presented in middle-class settings, embrace questions of man's morals and society's system of values which transcend the boundaries of time, place, and nationality. in Part THE THEATRE OF ARMANDO MOOCK BY Allaire Verde Schlicher A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Romance Languages 1974 © Copyright by Allaire Verde Schlicher 1974 In memory of my parents Edna Verde Schlicher Walter Jacob Schlicher ii m .. 4".5 U¢¢1~ .. O .- ”.F ‘ -' :xracz E g 1' cEE C" A. 1 T: B. l 7": N. AR. H"... ‘V “A. ”00."! I C 0-1 (I) r-J O *3 :1)! TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter INTRODUCTION 0... ..... ...... ..... O ..... .00.... I. THE CHILEAN AND ARGENTINE THEATRE 1900-1920 A. Chile ... ..... . ......................... B. Argentina ....... ..... ................ .. II. ARMANDO MOOCK'S THEMATIC WORLD ........ ....... III. MOOCK'S APPROACH TO SOCIAL THEMES .... ........ A. The Woman's Search for Identity and Fulfillment ... B. The Mother-Oriented Family ............. C. The Social Climb ....................... D. The Rural-Urban Conflict ............... E. Fidelity and the Don Juans ............. F. Alcoholism and Venereal Disease ........ G. The Caspar Milquetoasts ................ IV. REALISM, "COSTUMBRISMO," AND NATURALISM IN MOOCK'S THEATRE .... A. Realism 00.0.0.........OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO B. ”Costumbrismo" ...... .......... . ........ C. Naturalism O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O ..... V. REVOLTS AGAINST REALISM: SYMBOLISM AND EXPRESSIONISM ... A. SYInbOlism 0.0.0.0.........OOOOOOOOOOOOOC B. ExpreSSj-onism 00.000.00.000...00.0.00... iii 29 40 63 64 77 84 90 96 100 103 122 122 136 158 181 181 197 INCLUSION . . . . . ""7 h ‘finkv ' I did I‘ddcyd?h H o o . Chapter Page VI. THE DRAMATIC TECHNIQUE OF ARMANDO MOOCK ....... 217 CONCLUSION ............ ........ ........................ 255 BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................... 266 A. Works of General Information ............ 266 B. Sources of Criticism and Commentary on Armando Moock .. 269 C. A Complete Bibliography of Armando Moock's Works ... 278 iv -...— INTRODUCTION Armando Moock (1894-1942), a twentieth-century Chilean- born dramatist, is little known in the theatre world of the Americas - "forgotten,'I is the term Willis Knapp Jones used to describe him.1 That theatre, and literary critics on the American continents have tended to treat him only briefly or not at all may be due to several factors. He was born in Chile and it is there that he began his writing career. Armando Moock was one of the first Chileans to decide to be- come a professional dramatist and make his livelihood from the theatre, and he is credited, along with Acevedo Hernandez, with having created the profession of dramatist in Chile.2 He had already written nearly a dozen plays when, at the age of twenty-five, he surmounted two main barriers: the mental constraints he felt were imposed on him by a conservative Chilean society, and the physical presence of the Andes Mountains, which separated him from the thriving theatrical scene in.Buenos Aires. He moved to Buenos Aires, and in Argentina.wrote and presented the majority of his dramatic works. It is in Argentina that he fully realized his desire to be a professional dramatist, financially successful enough to live from the earnings of his pen. Consequently, two nations shared his talent, but each has remembered and u it ‘ I at U... ' . i" -- ‘u- ‘w ‘A.‘ ‘ ‘ "‘§ .q recorded primarily that which was produced within its own boundaries. He was Chilean—born and, therefore, rarely ap- pears listed among Argentine dramatists even though the ma- jority of his works originated in Argentina. On the other hand, since he resided in Buenos Aires nearly half his life, the Chileans tended to forget he was a native son. Armando Moock was born into a middle-class family January 9, 1894, in Santiago de Chile. His father, Leon, an Alsatian from Mulhouse (France), ran the "Confiteria Elegante," where Armando frequently went as a boy to fill his pockets with candies. His mother, Celina Bousquet, was a ”criolla" of French parentage. A number of his plays may reflect the influence of his French heritage for they show great sympathy for the French immigrants, especially the figure of the father. Moock's first known dramatic work was written during a vacation at Ventanas de Quintero, on the coast, where the com- munity was planning festivities to raise money for a school. Armando wrote a play, his sisters and friends presented it, and because of its acceptance he became enthusiastic about a dramatic career. His decision was to become a truly profes- sional dramatist.3 Manuel Diaz de la Haza, a Spanish pro- ducer who had helped many young dramatists, was shown this play, and with some changes it became Crisis econ6mica (1914). Though it was a commercial failure, Moock soon wrote another play, Isabel Sandoval, modas (1915), which received consider- able praise on opening night. E 1flflk .u'w nLau a ..M&YN%&CW.\W 14 h. (N J vlh .h‘. a A; -1 «C I .3 u. an r. C) a. .r... .. . a] a e t . A a» 1. i . a. o. 2. . . C. $5 .. . 1 a s S u n... A a .. a a," ..i .... C» a e .. . 91-) by r« a 3 pa; ~L: .nu r. .. ea .. v. ..u a“ u‘u ‘15 ... .1. ?~ .¢ nu a,» ..1‘ 3- n a. .2 .3 ..N \ .. Ce . a a v a: .n u . I .6 s .1; . ~. ..3 When Armando Moock's father died in 1908, Celina Moock locked up her husband's library of books because she consider- ed literature a waste of time and wanted her son to become a professional man, such as an architect. She refused to con- sider a theatrical career, and relations between mother and son became strained after the presentation of Crisis econ6mica. ‘- However, when Isabel Sandoval, modas appeared, she ordered Armando to give up the theatre or his home with the family. She relented only on the eve of his departure for Argentina in 1919. She died shortly thereafter. Forced to make a choice, Moock, "embrujado por el teatro," chose the theatre, and discontinued his studies in architecture at the university, but from 1915 to 1919 life was financially difficult. He wrote several short stories, a novel, Pobrecitas (1917), which received a prize given by the literary group, ”Los Diez,” and a "sainete," Los demonios (1917), which won first prize in a competition among aspiring dramatists. Dur- ing these years he adOpted the bohemian customs and attire popular with artists. Pedro Sienna's description of Moock suggests that of many a modern individualist: Cuando Armando Moock empezaba su brillante carrera de autor, y viajaba con nosotros conviviendo los azares de la farandula, agarr6 la mania de vestir un tanto caprichosamente. Gran chambergo felpudo sobre 1as melenas crespas y abundosas, mostachos y perilla a la mosquetera, camisas escotadas hasta el pecho, zapatillas de baile y una amplia capa espafiola con vueltas de terciopelo azul, que 11e- vaba terciada con suprema arrogancia. Parecia un D'Artagnan traducido al esperanto. r- 'V.‘ Q‘A‘ ~._" ... 34 u u s A: .NU I c \ c» 51;» ~» a.» 5. M. w. w.\ ~ 3 «J («N ...-as V .A w d . v. .. ‘0“ ate” ~x. ..- H v; 1 a \ . . .. . an .5 o nun . u Another critic compares him with his contemporaries by noting that he was more refined: Usaba una preciosa chaqueta de astrakan de lana con cuello de terciopelo, zapatillos de charol y para sus camisag, la gran originalidad de una limpieza impecable. In 1918, Moock became director of the Baguena-Bfihrle Company, Chile's first professional, national, theatre group, which traveled throughout Chile presenting Chilean plays, among which were Moock's own Pueblecito (1918), a classic among the Chilean “costumbrista” plays, Los perros (1918), En neqocio (1917), and g1 querer vivir (1917).6 It is entire- ly possible that this tour provided ideas and background for his novel, Vida y_mi1aqros de 22 primer actor (1925), and his play, Casimiro Vico, primer actor (1937), which have a common theme and development. In this same year his engagement to Marcelle Auclair, whose French parents opposed the match, was broken. The play, X 22§9.21.222£ (1918), may have been in- fluenced by the event. In 1919, Mundial pantomim was presented by an Argentine company, and his autobiographical novel, §21,gg.§m2£, was published. During the theatrical season of this year the Argentine actress, Camila Quiroga, visited Santiago. She promised to introduce Moock's Pueblecito to Buenos Aires, and succeeded in convincing the young dramatist that the future was brighter for playwrights in Argentina. Late in 1919, after taking leave of his mother, Armando Moock moved to Buenos Aires determined to live from the proceeds of his dramatic creations. R (A 1‘ I. 2‘ he C a mu 2; L. ..I. .3 we a: 5. ~ a QC .3 L.. C. ... a. .. L... 9. .2 ... .uu .. .. . ...l. s a . vs .: a: s- 1.. Raul Silva Caceres maintains that Moock's novel, Sol dg_amor, contains many autobiographical notes on his reasons for es- caping to Buenos Aires and remaining there.7 The following quote from the novel shows a certain amount of youthful dis- illusionment but, as well, a desire to test new horizons: Partia hastiado de la Vida de la capital, esa capital, que en nuestro mundillo intelectual I llamabamos "La Aldea de los Prejuicios"; sentia la nostalgia de otros mundos mas amplios, de otros horizontes donde ensanchar conocimientos y conquistar gloria. Oh! sf, lo confieso ruborizandome un poco, yo fui uno de esos ilusos que suefian en la conquista de la g§oria, y hay que ver c6mo! Escribiendo teatro! Another factor in his departure from Chile was that Moock had come to the theatre from the university rather than through the ranks of journalism. The young dramatist, therefore, had few friends in the essential places. He also admitted that his personality was his own worst enemy: "Tengo un caracter un poco hurafio y soy muy franco."9 At least seven plays have one of two poses, or a carica- ture of Armando Moock on their covers. These photographs and the Moock described by Julia Garcia Games in the following account, add somewhat to the dramatist's description of him- self cited above: De perfil, con la mirada hundida, la frente alta, 1a mandibula ruda y fuerte, Moock denota la mas firme tenacidad. 5610 la expresién’de su boca produce una impresion suave y amable. Ningun dolor, ninguna crispaci6n se refleja en él, es una cara, es cierto, sin alegrias, pero,que anuncia mas inteligencia que emocidn. The quote suggests strong determination. Lacking friends, and having a mi; itis easy to iependent. Ho 3. friend wrcte , l . nacho Sle ambiente. V9336. traldo, d que él cc lucha y, Tzere was not.‘ :3 3330.191“ he: ’ \ in nrgfm' may know p, 95 timing 1 having a family which offered no encouragement nor appreciation, it is easy to see why he became defensive and excessively in- dependent. However, it made him a fighting man all his life. A friend wrote at his death: Luchd siempre. Primero contra la indiferencia del ambiente. Después contra 1a repechada, a la que venci6. Después, contra sf mismo, cuyo caracter re- traido, de pocos amigos, solia crearle hostilidades que él comprendia con dolor. También venci6 en esta lucha y, mientras mas subi6, mas comunicativo fue... There was nothing to hold him in Chile so he went to Argentina to conquer new worlds and make new friends. In Argentina Moock wrote the majority of his more than sixty known plays. There appeared on the stage in Buenos Aires during his first year, three of his plays, Los sifiticos (1919), Misericordia (1920), and L3 serpiente (1920), the latter his most p0pu1ar play. During the decade of the 1920's he averaged three new plays a year. Although the one-act play was suffering from waning popularity in Buenos Aires at the time, the young dramatist tried this form, and Cuando venga g; amgg (1920) was one of the more p0pu1ar short pieces in his career. In 1922, according to Willis Knapp Jones, Moock had at least eight different plays produced, and in 1924 eight more were on the boards at the same time.12 During this four- year period he wrote La arafia gris (1922), §£§_un_muchacho alegre (1922), Monsieur Ferdinand Pontac (1922), Pepito y Juancito (1922), Primer agar (1922), En loco escribi6 este (1924), El castiqo dg_amar (1924), and Infierno grande (1924). I ha ‘ 59‘». L ..qu ..c.-. ”*1“ a {5L “SHAW "yvt‘ “fr-r. N'V”».'_ b... \- ‘hkue.. D. ...Q .' ‘1 In 1925, Chile added Armando Moock to its consular ser- vice, primarily because of his writing ability and his pro- fessional success. His first assignment was to represent Chile at the first Congress of Playwrights, in Paris. There he wrote the novel, Vida_y milagros de_un primer actor (1925). MOock also wrote three plays during 1925: L§_fiesta del coraz6n, Natacha, and L3 mano que aprieta. While traveling through Europe in 1926, he finished ggtgy §glg_y.13_quiero 9_Lg’pasi6n g3 Francois (1926), and wrote Cascabel, cascabelito and Cuadros cortos. The following year he was back in Santiago, where his Alzame en tus brazos (1927) paid a moving tribute to mother- hood. From this year also are gn_casamiento a lg'yankee, Sefibrita Charleston, and ggfiég, LQuién gs EEEEQII the latter written with Torcuato Insausti.l3 In 1928 he was in Buenos Aires once more, and there a friendship with a young girl develOped which was to have a profound effect on his life. Moock met Rosa Scorti Maquintok, an eighteen-year old Argentine, who became his wife in 1932. This year saw the pro- duction of Estoy solo y La guiero, E 512292 y yo no estamos g3 acuerdo, and £3 _r_1_9_ s91 yg. In 1929, El (12$ gig 1as barcas g Egalggnjuracién gg_19§ lobes, Lg lgg§_gg g; 2952 g Mocosita, and Pochade appeared on the stage. ‘When Armando Moock became consul in Vigo, Spain, in 1930, he discovered that Lg serpiente had already enjoyed three hun- dred performances on the Iberian peninsula.14 He continued to write despite the pressure of his diplomatic duties. In 1931 C.» .» s ‘4 he wrote Las amigas dg_don Juan, and was appointed consul in Barcelona. The following year (1932), at the age of thirty- eight, he married young Rosa Scorti Maquintok, who, some be- lieve, inspired the delightful "costumbrista" play, Mocosita (1929). The play reflected their own situation: the love that developed in a writer for a girl who was much younger than he. His marriage caught his friends by surprise. Moock had main- tained for years that an author should have no commitments other than his literary works.15 Friends received the follow- ing good-humored announcement from Spain: "Consuélense 1as solteras...Resignense 1as viudas...Alégrense los galanes: .Armando Moock, se ha casado."16 In 1932, Casate conmigo, and Los reos somos asf, were written, the latter with the collabo- ration of Alejandro Berruti.17 In 1933 Moock returned to Argentina from Spain and, be- cause of his improved economic situation, was able to write less hurriedly.18 During the decade of the 1930's Moock's theatrical production averaged only one or two works per year. Cocktail (Cola gg_qgllg) appeared in 1934. In 1935 one of his better plays, Riqoberto, was successful in Buenos Aires, and jJ) Santiago, Chile, it was acclaimed the best drama of the year. Maria d_e_ 1as camelias, a radio dialogue, also appeared during that year. ‘During 1936, Gfien dar que soy fatal, a radio monologue, E]; Qincionero del nifio, and Moock's only mystery play, 9;; crimen a mi pueblo, appeared. Casimiro Vico, primer actor 4.1.5 £31938 0an sated. In 193 L’n‘s time a Chile's d1; ieath in 19 Moock's 19: a monolOgm earlier bl} and La_gig§g_dg_2umarraga belong to the following year (1937). In 1938 only one play, No dejan surgir EL criollo was pre— sented. In 1939 Moock was still busy with his diplomatic duties, this time as consul in Mendoza (Argentina). He served in Chile's diplomatic service continuously from 1925 until his death in 1942, but the positions were usually minor ones.19 JMoock's 1939 theatrical contributions were Verdejo agradece, a monologue, and le_b£azg-y p £.la 93112, written years earlier but not presented previously because, requiring only one actress and one actor, nobody would accept such strenuous parts.20 Armando Moock's last play, A139 triste que llaman 3525 (1941), considered his best by some critics, was performed in 1941 and played for six months. It received an award from the Consejo Nacional de Cultura Argentina, but was never pub- lished. Armando Moock died of a heart attack November 30, 1942. His body was cremated, and his ashes were carried by Rafael Frtnrtaura to Chile, where they now rest. An anonymous journal- ist wrote a moving tribute to a simple but talented man: Su personalidad vastamente conocida y querida, gozaba de ese prestigio que s6lo saben captarse los verdaderos talentos; porque Mook [sic] nunca llizo sentir su talento sobre nadie, y amaba el Silencio y la soledad.21 iRelatively few critics have written articles or compiled bibliographies of Moock's theatrical productions. There was, still ‘ A U ultural l n! n ‘V g E ra s'he'Lhe Ae y. I + 5 “L1 U 1 ON.“ ab .... y out. .. Lime 0. ng to C V d ‘ 09 Auto: ‘he sec f‘ \a .A- ;N ‘5 « so: 10 and still is, to some extent, a lack of communication on the cultural level among Latin American countries. A writer, whether a dramatist or critic, may be extremely knowledgeable about the European or North American theatre scene and yet not know what is being written and produced on the stage in the country next to his. A second problem is that not all plays are published, and when they are it is frequently in limited editions which rarely pass outside the boundaries of the country in which they are printed, thus making scholarly research often difficult and sometimes nearly impossible. At one time, twelve volumes of Moock's Teatro seleccionado were going to be printed, but royalty problems with the Sociedad de Autores Teatrales de Chile suspended the project after the second volume.22 One of the first lengthy articles on Armando Moock's theatre was written by Julia Garcia Games. It is a ten-page chapter, relating biographical notes and giving brief resumes of some of the more important works.23 Nataniel Yafiez Silva includes the author's plays in a chronological study of the (nailean theatre.24 Probably the first American to study him amas Willis Knapp Jones, who in 1939 wrote an article, "Armando Bhaock: Forgotten Chilean Dramatist," which includes some bio- graphical data.25 This North American authority on the Latin AmeJi‘ican theatre also did English translations of three of Moock's plays, wrote reviews of several of his works, and edited Rigoberto, a reader for second-year college students.26 Rail L71 atre in Latorre it. my theat of .V. ock 's 29 ture. 1 111-3031; it t ‘ I ‘E:EQ‘ ‘ n r H .“‘E the “Otec Plays an: 9"“; ~. ‘s s‘c‘es 11 Rafil H. Castagnino analyzes the universality of Moock's theatre in an article written in 1946.27 In 1948, Mariano Latorre includes the dramatist in an article on the contempo- rary theatre in Chile.28 Rafil Silva Castro provides a list of Moock's works in his 1958 bibliography on Chilean litera- 29 ture. Walter Rela, a noted Uruguayan bibliographer, has an incomplete listing of Moock's plays in his 1960 work, Contribucidn §_la_bib1iograffa del teatro chileno.30 Fernando Debesa, himself a Chilean dramatist, discussed Moock in his article, "Nuestra herencia teatral" (1958), which is an in- teresting account of the theatre in Chile.31 Julio Duran Cerda, the noted Chilean drama critic, has listed some of Moock's plays and treated the playwright briefly in his books and articles.32 The most extensive study to date is a monograph, entitled L§_dramaturqia g2 Armando Moock, which was published in 1964 by Rail Silva Caceres.33 An Argentine dramatist and contemporary of Moock, Carlos Schaefer Gallo, has written of him in his book of memoirs.34 Mario Canepa Guzman reserved five pages for this dramatist in his history of the Chilean theatre.35 Most recently, Juan Ventura Agudiez has published three articles on the dramatic contributions of the playwright, offering intelligent, original observations.36 A limited num- ber of other writers have mentioned him, but usually only briefly in several paragraphs or in a footnote which parrots earlier commentaries. Thus, critics have tended to misunder- stand Moock or ignore him completely. The majority of the articles p simply lis ments on t contributi larly in t so-called to be fan in their 5 quately. It is tail Arman, in repress theatre, 0‘ dry Curren W0 decade writing. 599ng dra; into the t1 imitate t] times and 1 been inflm flat ional 01 Havinc provide a 9 USE 12 articles provide little or no biographical material. Many simply list the titles of some of Moock's plays, with few com- ments on their themes, content, or quality. Mariano Latorre's contribution excels in pointing out the similarities, particu- larly in theme, existing between Moock's works and those of so-called Eur0pean models. The comments in most articles tend to be favorable, though not glowing, and certainly are limited in their scope. Less than half a dozen critics treat him ade- quately. It is the purpose of this dissertation to analyze in de- tail Armando Moock's themes, dramatic style, and art, as found in representative plays. In order to study this playwright's theatre, one needs basic information with regard to such liter- ary currents popular in Argentina and Chile during the first two decades of the twentieth century as might influence his writing. During this period Moock was growing up, reading, seeing dramatic productions, and beginning his own ventures into the theatrical world. It is, therefore, pertinent to indicate the foreign influences and national trends of the times and to determine which plays of Armando Moock may have been influenced by foreign models and which ones indicate a national or personal flavor. Having reviewed this background material, one is able to provide a general view of the dramatic motifs Armando Moock used. Consecutive chapters of this study then deal more ex— plicitly with the following themes: various aspects of the dramatist '5 ac her-orie venereal di ever-pcpula :rench and 13 dramatist's social theatre such as the "liberated" woman, the mother-oriented family, social prejudices and mores, alcoholism, venereal disease, and the Caspar Milquetoast character; the ever-popular "costumbrismo" and sentimentality, influenced by French and Spanish writers; the role of realism and naturalism in Moock's dramas; and the revolts against realism such as symbolism and expressionism. After having treated the various motifs in individual works, I discuss Armando Moock's dramatic art and style, in- cluding theme, plot, characterization, language, and stage- craft. In a final chapter are offered conclusions concerning this playwright's dramatic world and his contribution to the Latin American theatre. Inn 3: satist, ZFern, aio xm, - p.193. "1 historia dc teatro." 3mm. 11 9“ Ca ‘ "111's no: gas \\\‘\ REE. JODeS‘ FOOTNOTES 1Willis Knapp Jones, "Armando Moock: Forgotten Chilean Dramatist," Hispania, XXII (1939), p. 41-50. 2Fernando Debesa, "Nuestra herencia teatral," Atenea, afio xxxv, t. 131, nfim. 380-81 (abril-septiembre 195§TT “‘ p. 193. "Armando Moock habia decidido, el finico en la historia de Chile, ser un dramaturgo profesional,vivir del teatro." 3Ibid., p. 191. "De los tres, (Armando Moock, Acevedo Hernandez and German Luco) Moock is ciertamente e1 més prolifico y el finico profesional del teatro." Duran Cerda ("E1 teatro chileno moderno," Anales d3 la Universidad d3 Chile, cxxr, ndm. 126 (abril-junio 1963), p. 171, however, writes, "Sobre todo los dos primeros (Acevedo Hernandez and Armando Moock) tuvieron e1 mérito de haber creado 1a pro- fesién de dramaturgo en el pais." jPedro Sienna, La vida pintoresca de Arturo Bahrle (Santiago, 1929), p. I75-76. '— 5Debesa, p. 192. 6Ibid., p. 191-92. 7Lgdramaturgia dg_Armando Moock (Santiago de Chile, 1964) I p0 §90 8Sol gg_amor (Santiago de Chile: Nascimento, 1924), p. 9-10. 9Jones, "Armando Moock:...," p. 44. 10Julia Garcia Games, Cémo los he visto yo (Santiago: Editorial Nascimento, 1930), p. 185. 11Carlos Cariola, ”Entre gallos y medianoche," Las ‘Ultimas Noticias (Santiago de Chile, 2 de diciembre, 1942), s.p. 12Jones, ”Armando Moock:...," p. 45. 14 . ' V . ’2) loctmtes (cc: nlorcua. aHears to has; who wrote indi 91m. and are ”alfatti. Un- Sational PIE lisomers, career Moock “Rh film co: Wig :nSented hi! Cited by Car (31181105 Rife these cases, lsIsmae L 16Carl ruWOranZaS L‘lterial H . l7Alej was One of 15 Footnotes (continued) 13Torcuato Insausti (1894), an Argentine playwright, appears to have been a collaborator rather than a dramatist who wrote individually. He teamed up with Moock on several plays, and also wrote with his brother Rafael and Arnaldo Malfatti. Una candida paloma written with the latter won the National prize in 1945. l4Jones, "Armando Moock:...," p. 45. Throughout his career.Moock appears to have maintained a constant battle with film companies and theatrical groups, who filmed or presented his plays and paid him no royalty fees. A letter, cited by Carlos Schaefer in El revés de la_mascara:... (Buenos Aires: Editorial Huemul, 1965Y7 mentions several of these cases. 15Ismael Edwards Matte, Hoy, nfim. 576 (Santiago de Chile, 3 de diciembre, 1942), p. 29. 16Carlos Schaefer Gallo. E1 revés dg'la_mascara: .Afioranzas y recuerdos teatrales riOplatenses. (Buenos Aires: Editorial Huemul, 1965), p. 102. 17Alejandro E. Berruti (1888-1964), Argentine dramatist, was one of the founders of Argentores in 1934, and worked many years as a librarian to build its library of national plays. Perhaps one of his best plays was Madre tierra (1920) which was modernized in 1955 by Osvaldo Dragfin and successfully presented again. leschaefer Gallo, p. 99-102. 19The Chilean ambassador to Argentina, Conrado Rfos Gallardo, wrote a complimentary report to his superiors in 1942 concerning Moock's duties. "Goza de excelente posici6n en los circulos intelectuales, artisticos y teatrales. Tiene merecido y solido prestigio como hombre de letras. Sus obras de comediografo 1e han conquistado gran reputacidn y 1e han proporcionado, fuera de dinero, ruidosos triunfos...Su labor es brillante y efectiva. Trabaja con pasidn y no omite sacrificios de ninguna naturaleza. Es siempre el primero en llegar y su jornada es superior a ocho horas. Desarrolla ‘una provechosa obra para asegurar los nexos de esta misi6n con la prensa, en donde tiene grandes y viejos amigos. Se «encuentra un tanto descorazonado del servicio y con razon. 190 ocupa en él la posici6n que deberia tener por sus méritos, por sus antecedentes y por sus afios de servicio. Es apenas <36nsul de E1ecci6n y la renta no le permite vivir con cierta Footnotes (cc. holg'ira. ' Ci Armando Moock OSee RC7; rechazaron to); sires, octubrr Carlos Schaef- irst present Teresa Montoy f—h 16 Footnotes (continued) holgura." Cited by Raul Silva Caceres in La dramaturgia de Armando Moock (Santiago de Chile, 1964), p. _70. 20See Roberto A Talice, "La comedia de Moock que rechazaron todas las actrices," Argentores, nfim. 56 (Buenos Aires, octubre, 1946), p. 29- 30. Moock also indicated to Carlos Schaefer Gallo (E1 revés d§_13_mascara) that it was first presented in Mexico City. The interpretation of Maria Teresa Montoya and Fernando Soler was a huge success. 21"'La noticia comentada," Las Ultimas Noticias (Santiago de Chile, December 1, 1942): P. 10. 22Armando Moock, Teatro seleccionado. Santiago ie Chile: Editorial Cultura, 1937. Contents: Vol. I (152 p. ): La serpiente, Pueblecito, Cuando venga el amor; Vol. II (I56 p. ): Mundial pantomfm, Natacha, Senorita Charleston. 23Garcia Games, p. 183-92. 24Nataniel Yaflez Silva, "Veinte afios de teatro chileno," Atenea (agosto 1932), p. 207-228. 25Willis Knapp Jones, "Armando Moock: Forgotten Chilean Dramatist," Hispania, XXII (1939), p. 41- 50; the Spanish translation of this appeared in Atenea, afio XXI, t. 56, num. 168 (junio 1939), p. 436- 60. 26The three plays are "Don Juan's Women," Poet Lore, XLVI (spring 1940): P. 45- 75; "Songbook of the Baby Jesus," Poet Lore, XLV (winter 1939), p. 23- -53; and "The Youngster," Poet Lore, LXII, no. 3 (1967), p. 266- 317. The reader is Rigoberto (Boston: D. C. Heath & Co., 1954).137p. 27Raul H. Castagnino, "El sentido de la universalidad en el teatro de Armando Moock," Boletin de Estudios de Teatro, num. 14(septiembre 1946) , p. 134-37. 28Mariano Latorre, "Apuntes sobre el teatro chileno contemporaneo," Atenea, afio XXV, t. 90 (agosto 1948), p. 254-72; (noviembre-diciembre 1948), p. 92-114. 29Rafil Silva Castro, Diccionario dg.13 literatura latinoamericana: Chile (Washington, D. C., 1958), p. 139-42. 30Walter Rela, Contribucién a la bibliografia del teatro chileno 1804-1960 (Montevideo, 1960), p. 40- 41. Fcctnotes (cc: 31Debesa, 32Julio Z (Samiago, 196 gfigfiééz (Sax zcéerno," Aha; fibril-junio ; teatro chilen: Kil.nfim. 2 , I 33Rail S; {Sutiago de C l7 Footnotes (continued) 31Debesa, p. 190-99. 32Julio Duran Cerda, R3pertorio del teatro chileno (Santiago, 1962), p. 102- 107, Panorama del teatro chileno 1842- 1959 (Santiago, 1959), p. 52- 56) "E1 teatro chileno moderno," Anales d3 la Universidad d3 Chile, CXXI, num. 126 (abril-junio 1963), p. 168- 203, "Actuales tendencias del teatro chileno," Revista Interamericana d3 Bibliografia, XIII, num. 2 (abril-junio 1963), p. 152- 75. 33Raul Silva Caceres, La dramaturgia d3 Armando Moock (Santiago de Chile, 1964), 110 p. 34Carlos Schaefer Gallo, g; reves dg_l§_mascara: Anoranzas y recuerdos teatrales rigplatenses (Buenos Aires, 1965): p. 99-102. 35Mario Canepa Guzman, E1 teatro en Chile desde los indios hasta los teatros universitarios (Santiago, 196 6), p. 88- 92. 36Juan Ventura Agudiez, "El concepto costumbrista de Armando Moock," Revista Hispanica Moderna, XXIX, num. 2 (abril 1963), p. 148- S7; "Armando Moock y el sainete argentino," Duquesne Hispanic Review, III (1964), p. 139-164; "Louis Verneuil, ArmandE Moock, y la comedia de dos personajes," Comparative Literature Studies, V, no. 1 (1968): p. 55-67. CHAPTER I THE CHILEAN AND ARGENTINE THEATRE 1900-1920 THE CHILEAN THEATRE: The national theatre in Chile at the dawn of the new cen- tury was a composite of "zarzuelas," romantic melodramas, and "costumbrista" plays which attempted to reflect Chilean life. Each of these, and particularly the "zarzuela," which was popu- lar with the public during the first fifteen years of the cen- tury,encouraged, unfortunately, the imitation of Spanish scenes, characters, customs, vocabulary, and even pronunciation. Dramatists like Daniel Barros Grez, Roman Vial y Ureta, Daniel Caldera y de Villar, and Adolfo Urzfia Rosas, following the ex— ample of their countryman, Alberto Blest Gana (1830-1920), were influenced by Honoré de Balzac in their development of a "nacionalismo literario" which attempted to depict a Chilean “costumbrismo."1 Plays by Francisco Camprod6n, Ventura de la Vega, Martfnez Sierra, the Alvarez Quintero brothers, Manuel Linares Rivas, and Jacinto Benavente exerted an influence on many national authors including Aurelio Diaz Meza, Acevedo Hernandez, and Armando Moock, primarily because of more fre- quent exposure. Touring Spanish theatre groups visited Chile frequently, and often remained for extended periods. Mariano 18 Latorre P01“: miguel Muh'ozl nevertheless I stage, Behave Iglesias, Be: or Spanish, a. Namegians Ibl terest in the Spanish theat: to use the Spgl for inspirati: Spaniards , and l9 Latorre points out the importance of the Spanish group of Miguel Mufibz, prominent in Santiago after 1910. One notes, nevertheless, that the dramatists the Spaniard presented on stage, Benavente, Alvarez Quintero, Linares Rivas, Rusifiol, Iglesias, Bernstein, Lavedan, and Donnay, are either French or Spanish, and only two other playwrights are cited, the Norwegians Ibsen and Bj¢rnson, indicating Mufioz' lack of in- terest in the drama of other nations.2 The directors of the Spanish theatrical companies advised the Chilean dramatists to use the Spanish playwrights'works as examples when looking for inspiration. Many writers, however, were transplanted Spaniards, and they found it easy to imitate their countrymen. Duran Cerda confirms this by citing the memoirs of Antonio Acevedo Hernandez, Cuarenta afibs d; teatro, in which he writes of his initial years as a theatrical writer and points out that Benito Perez Galdos, Joaquin Dicenta, Manuel Linares Rivas, Gregorio Martinez Sierra, Jacinto Benavente, the Alvarez Quintero brothers, and even Jose Echegaray were some of the drama mentors of the times.3 Spanish "costumbrismo" competed with the bourgeois themes of the French sentimental comedies inspired by writers such as Bataille, Bernstein, Porto Riche, Lavedan, and others. The French influence is particularly important because Armando Moock would be frequently accused of imitating as well as plagiarizing various French authors. Juan Ventura Agudiez notes some parallels between Moock's Pueblecito and Les , I Désenchantees pseudonym of I No hace L teatro d: Darin Cerda c1 V’V‘f‘ "£1ka de h abe r Trabaao.n6 38Cordar el de Originall along the uppe '\ ’ 0:2? ‘§ erred the "VA”F. 3‘ vq‘us I 0f Whi 20 Désenchantées by Pierre Loti.4 Alejandro Baeza, under the pseudonym of Fray Apenta, writes in Repiques that No hace mucho un sefior Mook [sic] estren6 en un teatro de esta ciudad, como suya, una comedia titu— lada: Isabel Sandoval, Modas...y aquella no era I _— . I — . mas que una adaptac1on al teatro de la conOC1da novela de Daudet, Cabeza de familia5 Duran Cerda cites a journalist from Valparaiso who "acusé a Moock de haber cogido personajes de Zola, de Germinal 0 de Trabajo."6 Mariano Latorre suggests that £3 serpiente "hace recordar el de Sardou."7 Originally, interest in the theatre was found primarily among the upper classes who could afford this luxury, but they preferred the works performed by professional European touring groups, of which there was a constant flow. These included casts headed by names such as Joaquin Montero, Jose Tallavi, Rafael Pellicer, Miguel Mufioz, who was previously mentioned, Manuel Diaz de la Haza, who presented Moock's first play, Maria Guerrero, Margarita Xirgu, and Enrique Borras - some of the most representative Spanish figures of the times. It was these theatre groups who contributed to the growing autonomy of the Chilean theatre, by creating public interest in theatre attend- ance and by stimulating promising new writers whose works they sometimes performed. They also took into their companies young Chileans aspiring to be actors and actresses and gave them their first professional training and experience. Further, some of the companies stranded in Latin America at the outbreak of the First WOrld War, especially the Spanish troupes had to prolong their stay , : toires . Thi; mately contr' theatre. An eerie-erj S‘J’Ch as Alber and Eduardo B We and the dEpths of its natiOnal drar Henrik for the firs this CentUry Chilean thEa rary life 9a read ass'lduC 5e SUQQEStS 21 their stay, making necessary the refurbishing of their reper- toires. This forced them to use more local works and ulti- mately contributed to the growth of the national Chilean theatre. An emerging middle-class sector, represented by dramatists such as Alberto Mackenna Subercaseaux, Victor Domingo Silva, and Eduardo Barrios, was trying to express itself in litera- ture and the theatre. Its probings into the psychological depths of its characters represented a new dimension in Chile's national drama. Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts (Espectros) was presented in Chile for the first time at the beginning of the second decade of this century. Orlando Rodriguez notes in his history of the Chilean theatre that Ibsen's attitude of analyzing contempo- rary life gave universal dimensions to his works, which were read assiduously in Chile even when they were not presented. He suggests that Ibsen permitted dramatists to treat authen- tically the immediate reality of their environment, and to delve deeply into human psychology, especially in the middle class sector, "destacando por sobre otras consideraciones, la verdadera anatomia de los caracteres en el enfoque de todos y cada uno de los personajes."8 Ibsen, who greatly influenced the Uruguayan, Florencio Sanchez, in wanting to change social structure, also inspired such Chileans as Manuel Magallanes ‘MOure, Daniel de la Vega, Waldo Urzfia, and César Bunster. Ibsen's influence in Chile via Sanchez may be seen in the character Acevedo E Viuda de 20110 of | Of COImtr" geography medium Upr Sénc‘nez we. Chi-191105 . v SanChey J recéndito bOlOS eSCI es 13 Car 22 characters of Juan de la Cruz Pizarro in Arbol viejo, by Acevedo Hernandez, and of the widow in Luco Cruchaga's £3 viuda d§.Apablaza. Both characters strongly resemble Don Zoilo of Barranca abajp, by Florencio Sanchez, in their view of country life and its inhabitants, the influence of geography on human psychology, and the effect of the social medium upon the human being - some of the characteristics of Sanchez which "surgen nitidamente en ambos dramaturgos chilenos."9 Gonzalez Castillo, as do most critics, also notes Sanchez' indebtedness, and suggests that it lies in his "afan recondito de plantear problemas sociales y de eXponer en sim- bolos escénicos el '1eitmotiv' ideologico de sus trabajos, que es la caracterfstica fundamental del procedimiento ibseniano."lo In addition, he names specifically the influences of Los muertos and Los derechos dg la salud and points out the significances of symbols - the ovenbird nest in Barranca abajo, the "ombu" tree in £3.3ringa, and the revolver in Los derechos d3 lg gglgg - which reflect Ibsen's techniques. The growing mining industry in Chile,which exploited the workers, helped to give rise to Chile's social theatre in the second decade of the century. On stage were seen some of the first important social conflicts in a country where social laws were currently nonexistent. Two ideological currents, anarchism and socialism, attempted to consolidate the workers, and both used the theatre as a platform for their ideas. Luis Emilio Recabarren, a labor leader and editor of "E1 Despertar de los Trabaj for his socia of elevating most famous e. Hernandez (18‘ Who Strongly : 0‘~'erturn the . grossly unj‘os Recaharren's 1:1de labOr whh“ on“ .1. ,. w (l: 1 ‘ar w F'Ortant niCh( the + acre, Par- ‘uu0fl of 19 In 1913 23 de los Trabajadores," used the theatre not only as a vehicle for his socialistic political ideas but also as a direct means of elevating the cultural level of the workers.11 One of the most famous exponents of the social theatre was Antonio Acevedo Hernandez (1886-1962), a young man from a poor rural family, who strongly identified with the anarchists in wanting to overturn the established social order, which he felt was grossly unjust. He began writing in response to a request in Recabarren's newspaper for plays suitable to be presented for and by labor unions. He combined folklore elements and the plight of the lower classes to produce social plays like El inquilino (1913), Cardo negro (1913), 93 canci6n rota (1921), and Chafiarcillo (1933). The social theatre occupied an im- portant niche in the develOpment of the Chilean national theatre, particularly after the triumph of the Russian Revo- lution of 1917. In 1913 a group of anarchist intellectuals and writers under the leadership of Adolfo Urzfia Rosas formed one of Chile's first truly national theatres, the "Compafifa Dramatica Nacional,” which for three years performed works written and acted in by Chileans. The "Sociedad de Autores Teatrales de Chile" (SATCH) was formed in 1915. Many of its members, like Rene Hurtado Borne, Rafael Maluenda, Carlos Cariola, Rafael Frontaura, Juan Manuel Rodriguez, and Aurelio Diaz Meza, all contemporaries and many of them personal friends of Armando Moock, demonstrated an attempt to re: life during t‘: to develoo a t although there; and the bourge In 1917 t theatre group, talented actor II Arturo Buhrle, cal director a: moSt remote are Chilean author group OPened t‘ the appearance TOWard th “was hem? prod the quality, f Selves. Theat lights abOut t of the Plays t and consumed ..OHOW the foe f «a vorable resu b. lit a lack Of 24 attempt to reflect in some way the characteristics of Chilean life during the first decades of the century. They also sought to develop a theater with a truly Chilean flair and flavor, although there were still vestiges of the romantic melodramas and the bourgeois theatre in their works. In 1917 there was formed the first professional Chilean theatre group, "La Compafiia Béguena Burhle," headed by two talented actors, Enrique Béguena, a charactor actor, and Arturo Bahrle, a comic.12 Armando Moock became their techni- cal director and acted also. The company toured to even the most remote areas of Chile presenting the latest works by Chilean authors, among them six plays by Moock himself. This group opened the way for a professional theatre and encouraged the appearance of a whole generation of talented playwrights. Toward the end of the second decade a variety of plays was being produced. The quantity of plays, however, exceeded the quality, for several reasons. Chilean writers lacked a theatrical tradition and standards with which to guide them- selves. Theatre critics tended to present interesting side- lights about the cast members rather than an in-depth critique of the plays themselves. Also, a growing public - but one with limited education and culture - demanded constant entertainment and consumed quantities of plays. This encouraged writers to follow the footsteps of Lope de Vega, but unhappily with less favorable results. For nearly fifteen years there was volume, but a lack of commitment on the writers' part to create a truly . 1, 41" Chilean theatr :1:er on Euro for their plai“ Chilean scene these writers theatre.l3 On to have the dr Chilean interp. fotonio Aceved: who achieved f; fl / vernan Luco Cr“ duced the " cost 25 Chilean theatre, for the national writers depended almost en— tirely on European modes, techniques, themes, and characters for their plays. Their failure to delve more deeply into the Chilean scene resulted in little of lasting value, although these writers did keep alive the public's interest in the theatre.13 Only three Chileans during this period appeared to have the dramatic abilities necessary to give a true Chilean interpretation to the national theatre. They were Antonio Acevedo Hernandez, representative of the poor classes who achieved fame as a social and "costumbrista" dramatist, German Luco Cruchaga, an aristocrat who died young but pro- duced the "costumbrista" play, Viuda d§_Apablaza, which has been rated as one of the greatest Chilean dramas of the period, and Armando Moock, the standard-bearer for the middle class and the subject of this study.14 Although a new generation of dramatists was develOping new themes and ideas, the technical representation of plays continued to be along the lines of the nineteenth-century Spanish melodramas with their telones pintados, uso de candilejas; uso del apuntador; texto no memorizado y expresado con grandilocuencia, ”morcillas” y "latiguillos”; cultivo del 'divismo" y sentido individualista en el teatro. Whereas Eur0pe had substantially renovated theatre techniques under the direction of Copeau, Antoine, Reinhardt, and Stanislawsky, among others, Spain and Latin America continued ”sumidos en formas anacronicas hasta muy entrado el siglo."16 ‘ . . . . n Pedro Sienna recounts in La Vida pintoresca dg_Arturo Buhrle that Armando Para estudiar Provisacidn d "would be a £6 Said t0 haVe AS the literary Cu: SPaln' the ] COuntI-y t0 limit-101'} W 26 that Armando Moock, on tour with the Béguena-Buhrle Company was confronted with one of these problems in producing for the first time his thesis play, Los perros, in order to make some money to continue the tour. Bahrle had the comic part but refused to study his lines. "Era proverbial su negligencia para estudiar los papeles, ya que todo lo confiaba a la im— provisacidn del momento.”17 Moock was concerned that the play would be a failure if the thesis was lost. Bahrle's humor is said to have saved the play, but not the thesis. As the third decade begins there is a gamut of themes and literary currents. From the days of their independence from Spain, the Latin American countries had turned from the mother country to France for their models, partly because French civi- lization was regarded as superior, and partly because most wealthy Latin Americans lived in Paris for a period of time and adopted French values. This French influence prevailed for many years among those well-to-do. Thus it is natural that the majority of Chilean playwrights exhibit influences of the French middle-class or "bourgeois" theatre, similar to the Spanish "alta comedia." Both styles of theatre had reigned in their respective countries during the second half of the nine- teenth century. The popular Spanish "alta comedia" contains four major characteristics: "época actual, prop6sito educativo, técnica meditada, y verdad dramatica."18 It was intended to he basically realistic although it maintained many elements of 73¢: ronant were 1 drama proble Spirii Ferna: 27 romanticism. Lopez de Ayala, Tamayo y Baus, and Echegaray were its best contributors in Spain. The French "bourgeois" drama also dealt with middle-class types, conditions, and problems, with the purpose of improving man's moral and spiritual condition as well as encouraging social reform. Fernando Vernier, Alejandro Flores, Yafiez Silva, Hurtado Borne, and Lamarca Bello are Chileans exhibiting the influences of Frenchmen like Henry Bataille, Henry Bernstein, Georges de Porto-Riche, and Henry Lavedan, "1as fuentes de inspiracidn Y a veces de 913910: por parte de los autores locales."19 Armando Moock, because of his French parentage, doubtless did not entirely escape these French influences.20 Many dramatists imitated French types, themes, and scenes because they were unwilling or unable to see and project the surrounding rich, Chilean heritage of customs, events, and characters. Others, even less original, simply rewrote many of the romantic melodramas of the previous century, situating Moors and Spaniards on Chilean soil in obviously false situa- tions and circumstances. There was a small group, including dramatists like Carlos Mondaca, Max Jara, and Aurelio Diaz Meza, who tried to portray historical aspects of Chilean life, but most of the writers simply imitated the French and Spanish sources and,as a result, never achieved any lasting fame. In "while the artist was fully aware of the latest Eur0pean trends and identified himself with the modern, his own work with T, r »" II . was a to re the m theme 28 was an imitation which even the people he wrote for tended to reject.'21 Perhaps the rejection was due to the fact that the majority of theatre-goers could not identify with foreign themes, characters, and customs. Other literary movements reached Chile, but much later. Orlando Rodriguez cites the presentation of Acevedo Hernandez' Chafiarcillo (1932) as the first influence of European eXpres- sionism, and En 13 1233 (1934), by Vicente Huidobro, as the beginning of the theatre of the absurd in Chile.22 Armando Moock was already acquainted and experimenting with expression- ism in Argentina, writing 93 loco escribi6 este drama, in 1923 and Armando Discépolo, between 1923 and 1934, had produced five plays for the "grotesco" theatre: Mateo (1923), Stefano (1928), Cremcna (1932), El organito (1925), and Relojero (1934), some elements of which are also found in Moock's theatre. Thus, the Argentines were more adventuresome in experimenting with the new ideas from EurOpe- Money was the prime concern of the writers, and they willingly sacrificed their integrity and the quality of their theatrical creations to achieve wealth. There were no truly professional dramatists because the financial rewards were not great enough for them to live by the fruits of their plays alone and, therefore, it was more a hobby than a profession. Again, the lack of a Chilean theatrical tradition left them without national standards of excellence to use as guidelines, and critics often unfairly and unfavorably compared the plays ‘ '7713 29 to European models and by European standards. THE ARGENTINE THEATRE: In Argentina the theatre went through a similar though somewhat different development. Its greatest impulse came late in the nineteenth century, with the first dramatic pro- duction, a pantomime of Juan Moreira (1884), by José Podesta (1858-1935).23 The play of the same title soon led to the creation of a whole series of original plays based on the legendary national figure of the "gaucho." This popular, romantic figure presented a common spirit of rebellion and protest against the rather general abuse by company commanders, feudal-like estancia owners, rural judges, and justices of the peace. This democratic desire for justice represents the spirit of an early social theatre. It also permitted numerous "costumbrista" accents, such as dances, music, verses, scenes, and characters. In succeeding years, a changing society cre- ated by an influx of immigrants brought about the integration into plays of new elements on the rural scene: the "pe6n" or poor "gaucho," the drunk, the Basque, the Neopolitan, and the "cocoliche" type.24 "Gaucho" dramatists in addition to Eduardo Gutierrez, the originator of the genre with guan_Moreira (1886) and Juan Cuello (1890), were Nemesio Trejo, and a group of Uruguayans: Elias Regules, Juan Nosiglia, Abd6n Ardztegui, Orosman Moratorio, Francisco Pisano, Benjamin Fernandez y Medina and Victor Perez Petit. 30 Calandria (1896), by Martiniano Leguizamon (1858-1935), signaled a change in the "gaucho" type from the ”gaucho malo" to a useful citizen, whereby the wandering nomad becomes the owner of a plot of land and is integrated into the economic life of his country. Also about this same time, the "criollo's" resentment against the industrious "gringo" begins to appear on the stage. Enrique Garcia Velloso (1880-1938), a forerun- ner in the modern Argentine theatre, wrote many plays, among which was Jesus Nazareno (1901»,protesting the gaucho's lack of political rights. Nicolas Granada (1840-1915), who served as a bridge between romanticism and realism, wrote the gaucho plays, 51 ggmpg (1902) and Baig'gl parral (1911), satires on the conflict between the city and the country. Martin Coronado (1850-1919), who began as a romantic and changed to national themes, will be best remembered for La piedra dg’escdndalo which depict realistic, hardworking men little resembling the romantic "gaucho." In ggbrg'la§_ruinas (1902), Roberto Payrd (1867-1928), better known as a novelist and short-story writer, symbolized the conflicts created when "criollo" inertia and tradition were confronted with European progress and technology. Florencia Sdnchez (1875-1910) continued these themes in La_ gringa (1902), M'hijo g; dotor (1903), and Barranca abajo (1905) . The Spanish ”zarzuela" and the opera shared the spotlight as the leading preferences of the patrons in Argentina during skeiet music, tivate: 31 the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Another important facet of the dramatic production in Argentina was the popular and fruitful development of the ”sainete criollo," based on the Spanish model but, unlike the Chilean examples, with sets and characters typical of the "portefio" scene.25 The national ele- ments were always present; the foreign form provided only a skeleton which was fleshed out with Argentine scenes, types, music, and situations. More than two hundred dramatists cul- tivated the genre for nearly half a century. Among the more important composers of "sainetes" is Nemesio Trejo (1862-1916), the originator of the "sainete criollo ciudadano." He was a Salesian priest whose order firmly believed in the value of the theatre as a teaching device. He was also one of the first dramatists to break away from the overpowering influence of the Spanish playwrights and to integrate national themes and characters with Spanish humor and technique as he did in La fiesta gg_don Marcos (1890) and Los politicos (1897). Justo S. Lopez de G6mara (1859-1923), a Spanish newspaperman, exposed in his play Gauchos y gringos (1884), the blossoming conflict between the "criollos" and the European immigrants known as "gringos." Ezequiel Soria (1873-1936), whose p0pu1ar characters made his "sainetes" so famous, was a dramatist and director who wrote both serious plays and musical comedies, and is credited with introducing the serious "sainete." Other "sainete" writers include Enrique Garcia Velloso, José Gonzdlez Castillo, Carlos Maria Pacheco, and Alberto Vacarezza, the en: "9 m VtkUb Mm” ‘Vou '\ , _ ital; ‘3. Y ~ 6.. 32 who ends the cycle of "sainete criollo" dramatists. Much of the humor and comical effect of the "sainete criollo” was achieved through the use of foreigners who de- formed Spanish by mixing it with their own language. The Italian was most abused, followed by the Jew, Catalan, Turk, Englishman, German, Portuguese, Frenchman, and Pole. The "sainete" writers were careless. "Los defectos més comunes son las injustificadas desigualdades de estilo y de tono y ‘ e1 hibridismo de las formas verbales y pronominales correctas con 1as vulgares rioplatenses."26 The defects appeared in the same author, the same play, the same scene, and even in the same character. The carelessness occurred not only in the "sainete criollo" and the ”costumbrista" plays but in many other more serious works as well. It is obvious that many of the works were written hurriedly and often for a spe- cific popular actor or actress. The ”comedia de salon" catered to the bourgeois and the wealthy. Roberto Giusti describes it as brilliant, more or less frivolous, more or less sentimental and based on the model of the French theatre in vogue then and more directly on the theatre of the author of La noche del sébado, Jacinto Benavente.27 Martin Coronado (1850-1919) and Nicolas Granada (1840-1915) provided romantic and post-romantic plays, but the scene began to move from the country to the urban areas. Gregorio de Laferrere (1857-1913) wrote humorous and satirical plays about new ide Late-19 '3‘. km: . " ~~\ . 33‘. ~~ ‘. 2.13.09 to m 33 city customs, and the historical dramas of David Pefia (1863- 1930) became popular. It was a group of young Bohemians with new ideas, however, who vitalized the "criollo" theatre from 1900-1910 and led this period to be called the "Golden Age" of Argentine dramatic production.28 Sobre 1as ruinas and Marco Severi, by Roberto J. Payrd (1867-1928), and plays such as Los muertos, Los derechos dg la salud, M'hijo 31 dotor, La gringa, and Barranca abajg, among others, by Florencio Sinchez (1875-1910), the genius of the group, tended to be social in nature. Their dramas fight social and political injustice among the poor and middle classes of society, denounce alcoholism, poverty, and prosti- tution, and present the generation gap between the young and the old, and the cultural differences between the "criollo" and the "gringo," with a combined realism/naturalism that be- came widely popular. Although the themes were not always original, having been previously dealt with by European writers, the themes, the ideas, and the realism with which they were expressed were new to Argentina.29 The Chilean writers were influenced mostly by French and £3panish models, and these same models greatly appealed to the Zirgentines also. Domingo Casadevall indicates that the "laortefios" were interested in plays and readings of the works caf' Nordau, Dumas (son), Hervieux, Bernstein, Brieux, de Curel, Becque, Galdds, Benavente, Guimera’, Dicenta, and Linares Rivas.30 Piitfla the exception of Nordau, all of these dramatists had works appearing on the Buenos Aires stage between 1899 and 1908, Al a l: . . IY\ r \ . .a\ .A‘ Q n :1. E E a. e a: E . a . e if. . V& d LU ale ,k.» vs at,» {g a: Sun has re s E: e s i a.. 34 according to Angela Blanco Amores de Pagella's study, Nuevos tema§_§g,gl teatro argentino. This same study cites four other dramatists in this time period who were frequently rep- resented on the "portefio" stage, namely, Rostand, Sardou, with sixteen different plays, the Alvarez Quintero brothers, and Echegaray, who had fourteen different plays produced. How- ever, the Argentines were inspired not only by these but by such other nationalities as the Norwegians, Germans, Italians, and Russians. The psychological theatre of Samuel Eichelbaum and the "grotesque" theatre of Francisco Defilippis Novoa and Armando Discépolo developed via the influence of these other European dramatists. Gonzalez Castillo suggests that the greatest influence was that of Ibsen, brought to Argentina in the repertoires of the Italian companies of Zacconi and Novelli because Italy ”por entonces era nuestra fuente de inspiracicin."31 Angela Blanco Amores de Pagella's study,cited previously,confirms that these and other Italian companies appeared in Buenos Aires from 1889 to 1908, and probably even later. These groups performed the works of Ibsen and his followers: Henry Becque, Francois de Curel, and Eugene Brieux in France; Roberto Bracco and Gerolamo Rovetta in Italy; Sudermann in Germany; and Benavente and Linares Rivas in Spain. Only Strindberg is notably absent in tfliis time span. Gonzalez Castillo also points out the probable influence of Ibsen on Log muertos and Los derechos d_e_ _:_|._a_ _s__a_l_l_1_d_ by Florencio Sinchez, who was known to have read most of Ibsen's works; on El arleguin, by Otto Miguel Cione; I‘F‘U.~' AV ..8 E L‘s rt \H.‘ at Lu. t 35 on Marco Severi, by Roberto J. Payr6; and indirectly via Rovetta on E2 familia, by Sinchez, who reportedly told the author that he had "aprendido a hacer teatro en Gerolamo Rovetta."32 Thus Ibsen and his followers seem to have exert- ed no little influence on the Argentine theatre. As in Chile, the prime mover was money, to the detriment of professional pride in the quality of one's work. This in- fluence caused a lack of new and original ideas, for when a play did appear and became successful, it was imitated in ex- cess, as in the specific case of the "sainete criollo." Here, too, an ever-demanding public encouraged quantity rather than quality. Though there were many negative aspects in the Argentine theatrical world when Moock arrived in Buenos Aires, an en- thusiastic public did support numerous dramatists and it was possible to live from the profession alone. Moock is said to have earned the phenomenal income of fifteen thousand pesos a year from his plays.33 This, then, was the theatrical world in Chile and iArgentina when Armando Moock was growing up and writing his first plays. He was introduced to the famous Argentine actress, Camila Quiroga, in 1918. She found it easy to persuade him that:the Argentine stage would present him with a brighter fu- ‘ture than that of Chile. The cultural and social influences were so much more ample and liberal in Argentina than in Chile that there was Opportunity for a gifted, creative, and enter- prising dramatist to experiment with many styles, characters, id them had good inspirat Buenos A 01 ( D U) r t O Fh 36 and themes while developing his own style. Thus Armando Moock had good reason to believe that in Argentina there could be inspiration for a budding dramatist. He moved there, and Buenos Aires became the center of his dramatic life for the rest of his years. -vv WW Q»\ “- VCL» HI. I ....i. 55 hr. Dy mg a NIH «my». 1|\ r: C «A u a s 1‘ \IL 51-4 ”a by in rt 5 \HU \ S Di 1AM 5.4 h 1.5: “MW e a. ...HH ‘51 t fl- A: PM (Q us at -it t {It a: Lt uni Pu. 37 FOOTNOTES 1Orlando Rodriguez, Teatro chileno del siglo veinte (Santiago, 1964), p. 2. ‘ u“. 4", 2"Apuntes sobre el teatro chileno," p. 259. 3"El teatro chileno moderno," p. 175. 4"El concepto costumbrista...," p. 150. 5Editorial Universitaria: Santiago de Chile, 1918, p. 46. 6"El teatro chileno moderno," p. 181. 7"Apuntes sobre el teatro chileno," p. 269-71. This same article cites other influences: similarities in Pueblecito and Genio alegre or Puebla dg_las mujeres by the Alvarez Quintero brothers; 2;; brazo or la calle is like El alba, 21 did la noche by Dario Nlc emi? Misericordia 'TFecuerda a Rusi 01 y al propio Soto Aguilar." Juan Ventura Agudiez "E1 concepto costumbrista...," p. 150) insists that Martinez Sierra's influence can be noted in Moock's simplicity, equilibrium in composition and the use of certain themes. Los intereses creados by Jacinto Benavente are thought to have influenced Moock's Mundial pantomim and Mufiecos by Manuel Arellano Marin. 8Teatro chileno del siglo veinte, p. 51. 9Ihid., p. 54. 10Jose’ Gonzalez Castillo, "El sainete medio de expresidn teatral argentino," Cuadernos gg Cultura Teatral, no. 5 (Buenos Aires, 1937) , P. . 11Rodriguez, Teatro chileno del siglo veinte, p. 8. 12Both actors had developed and polished their acting technique in Santiago. Mariano Latorre (”Apuntes... ," p. 93) identifies them in this manner: "Arturo Buhrle y Enrique Baguena se completaban. La gracia espontdnea del uno con- trastaba con la sobriedad del otro. ’ Ambos eran actores natos, pero Buhrle tendla a la improvisacion y Baiguena al estudio minucioso. El primero arrebataba a1 pfiblico, arrancaba aplausos; el otro, organizaba y se contentaba con éxitos menos ruidosos, pero justamente conseguidos." noted money que e es la 0 ins. d6 pe: cuyo 1 esfuez paiole no les P000 a PIOpia 'C‘StIEnl Cara’cu ACQVedc Orlandc it 17 1929 18 38 Footnotes (continued) 13Acevedo Herndndez, ("Consideraciones...," p. 156-157), noted that the goal of the "professional" writers was to make money: "Nosotros no escribimos para la posteridad; una vez que el pfiblico paga, e1 negocio esté hecho. La finica verdad es la taquilla," and he continues his criticism: "He dicho o insinuado que nuestros autores carecen en su casi totalidad de personalidad; siempre han hecho arte de imitacién, para cuyo fin han escogido los peores modelos. No quiero exigirles esfuerzos ni grandes orientaciones,...le dejo con los es- paholes que han imitado 0 con los frances ya pasados. Pero no les perdonaré jamds que hayan imitado tan mal, con tan poco amor a su nacionalidad tan sin sentido de la existencia propia..." l4"Sin negar e1 esfuerzo que signified la aparici6n y estreno de numerosas obras, s6lo tres autores escapan al caracter transitorio de toda esa producci6n teatral, Antonio Acevedo Hernandez, Armando Moock y German Luco Cruchaga." Orlando Rodriguez, p. 13. 15Ibid., p. 12. 15Ibid. 17Santiago de Chile: Talleres Fiscales de Prisiones, 1929, p. 171. 18Jose’ Garcia L6pez, Historia de la literatura espafiola (Barcelona: Editorial Vicens-Vives, 1968), P.478. 19Rodriguez, p. 53. 20"Armando Moock por su ascendencia genealdgica, se sintid inclinado a la morbidez sentimental de dramaturgos y narradores franceses, como Loti, Paul Margueritte, Bernstein." Duran Cerda, "El teatro chileno moderno," p. 175. 21Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1970. p. 15. 22Rodriquez, p. 56-57. 23José’Podest5 was an Uruguayan who had gained fame as a singer and clown. He was known as "Pepino e1 88" because he wore that number on his clown suit. He and his family rep- resent a fine, long tradition of dramatic excellence in Argentina. 24Roberto Giusti refers to the "Cocoliche" type as a Tmascara grotesca del italiano acriollado” which reminds one of the Commedia dell'Arte. "El teatro,” Historia QE.£E literatura argentina, v.IV (Buenos Aires: Ediciones Peuser, 1959), p. 525. H' .l u i 3 a» ya. u. - n < . Wu "M W.“ m». ..C mu. v. «M 1 CL e\ o 3‘ .nd a» ‘nd a. v. a 1. Uri. 3 7. av: LG I it. t G ab .3 t “oi 39 25The word ”portefio" refers to an individual who is an inhabitant of Buenos Aires and its immediate environs. 26Roberto Giusti, p. 587. 27rbid., p. 581. 28Raul H. Castagnino, Esquema de la literatura dramdtica ar entina (Buenos Aires: Instituto de Historia del Teatro Americano, 1949). p. 74- 75. 29As examples Castagnino points out that the theme of M'hijo 31 dotor by Florencio Sdnchez contains the influences Su ermann's Casa paterna; Blanchette by Eugene Brieux and Le due conscienze by Rovetta. (Es uema de la literatura, p. 82- -83). Alfredo de la Guardia 5 study —of_Samuel Eichel- baum indicates this dramatist' s indebtedness to Dostoyevsky, Ibsen and Strindberg. Thus the influences are long and lengthy. With the possible exception of Dostoyevsky, all of these men were followers of Ibsen's techniques and themes. See also Amores de Pagella's work, Nuevos temas 22.2l teatro argentino for European influences. 30El teatro nacional: Sinopsis y perspectivas (Buenos Aires: Ediciones Culturales Argentinas, 1961), p. 49- -50. 31"E1 sainete medio de expresi6nc-or" P- 45- 321bid., p. 46-47. 33Jones, Behind Spanish American Footlights, p. 227-228. CHAPTER II ARMANDO MOOCK'S THEMATIC WORLD Armando Moock's plays number nearly sixty.1 About half of this dramatic production is composed of short, one-act plays and the remaining half consists of longer, three-act plays. The few plays written in Chile, before he migrated to Buenos Aires, approximately eleven, tend to be Chilean in flavor and theme. They present situations revealing Moock's personal and family life, and his experiences while touring the Chilean provinces with a theatre group. In these plays the dramatist also notes the Chilean preoccupation with social and economic advancement via the professions, and pre- sents a dramatic portrait of the "sidtico," a Chilean term referring to a cheap, pretentious, and ridiculous type of person. The atmosphere of rural villages and the fight for survival of the poor are also among the playwright's concerns. ‘Ventura Agudiez wrote of Moock: "...Como uno de los dramaturgos importantes de su generacidn, sus temas no caerén bajo la sensibilidad particular al teatro argentino."2 This critiC‘would seem to ignore or be unfamiliar with those of Moock's plays which follow Argentine trends, although he did not write any plays related to the "gauchesco" theatre. The plays written after Moock's departure from Chile 40 5". tra: PEOE the :10: sell all be C< 41 indicate experimentation with the forms attracting the atten- tion of the Argentines, such as naturalism, symbolism, ex- pressionism, and the "grotesque" theatre. He was also interest- ed in themes being used by the Argentine writers: inherited traits, infidelity, man's loneliness although surrounded by people and wealth, the foreigner in a "criollo" environment, the weak male, alcoholism, and other basically social ques- tions. Many of these themes are closely tied to the univer- sality to be found in Moock's theatre because they are problems and situations faced by peOple at all levels of society, in all areas of the world, and tend to be timeless. One of the major concerns of Moock's dramas which should be considered is the public-service commitment to be found in them. Fernando Debesa wrote that social problems interested Moock only early in his career when he wrote Los perros.3 This is true if one limits the definition of social problems to political ideologies such as the socialist-anarchist ideas p0pu1ar in Chile at the time Armando Moock wrote his play. These were ideas fostered by the Russian Revolution and en- couraged by the evils of the Industrial Revolution,evils whereby wealthy mine and factory owners in Chile were permit- ted to pay bare subsistance wages to their employees, who often worked long hours in dangerous and unhealthy conditions. Thus, the early social theatre in Chile, as elsewhere, .presented and encouraged class struggle. Garcia Pavdn writes that the purpose of this early social theatre was not to serve literature but, rather, to provide a propaganda outlet u‘n‘fl for he to: he h as h th tine fact in t} YEars close (1962. 42 for a political party, the union, or some reform program of the writers, and was essentially a theatre of attack to try to improve the working conditions and life of the proletariat.4 Since Moock wrote only one such play, it suggests that he himself had no such strong political leanings or interest as his contemporary, Acevedo Herndndez, but, instead, used the tOpic because it was a theme which was popular at that time, and was therefore written to attract an audience. In fact, Ventura Agudiez affirms that Moock was never interested in the political thesis drama which was so popular in those years.5 Armando Moock's method of presenting social themes closely follows the description in Teatro social gn_Espafia (1962) by Garcia Pavdn who writes that e1 actual teatro social prescinde de todo acorde calificadamente politico y se limita a exponer unas situaciones, fruto de unas estructuras sociales inc6modas, para que, sin mas doctrina, discurso o slogan, e1 espectador deduzca por su cuenta la solucion. Teatro casi costumbrista, de exposicidn objetiva de unos modos de vivir que, antes que ex- altar al espectador, como el viejo teatro social, 1e hace pensar. Moock's social work in the theatre was obviously a written protest against the many prejudices he himself experienced and those he noted around him, especially those regarding pro- fessions whereby the kind of work one does immediately defines one's social and financial future. His purpose was to make people think about their biases and re-evaluate them in light of a given.situation rather than to make an ironclad generali- zation about all such cases. In _L_a_ ara‘r‘l'a gris he shows what r1) .J (L but a tion socia that is nc iRdiv 43 results when the protagonist is unable to change his views about the sanctity of his wife's body and goes mad. In 221 b£3§g_y_pg£ la 23113 the protagonist at least is able to view his wife's infidelity more objectively. In Natacha Moock presents a defense for those mothers who do not want to marry. He offers justifications for permitting girls to choose their own mate,for marrying for love rather than wealth and social prestige, for sympathy and tolerance for the unwed mother, for respect for the literary professions, and many more. It was a rebellion not only against the narrow-mindedness and intolerance the dramatist professionally encountered, but against that which others had to live with. A large por- tion of Armando Moock's dramas deal with these and other social prejudices. He does not give answers; he only suggests that there may be more than one point of view, and that there is no single answer. Each situation should be judged on its individual and particular merits. With two exceptions, the playwright expressed little interest in the plight of the masses of poor people, although his theatre tends to be social in nature. He was interested in individual rather than group issues. Being middle-class and a realistic dramatist, Moock portrayed problems he was familiar with and could successfully project on the stage. According to Durén Cerda, however, Moock attempted to explore the popular sector of the "conventillo" in Penitas g§_§mg£ (1916), but the play was poorly received: "El terreno y, sobre todop'el lenguaje 1e eran totalmente desconocidos, y su - MIA-V 44 empresa no prosperé."7 Los perros, dating from 1918, also deals with the plight of the "underdogs." This latter play appeared on the stage three months after Pueblecito, but the earlier work, humorous, and emphasizing ”costumbrismo" and romance with which every Chilean could relate, was so popular that it may have overshadowed the serious, symbolic, and moralizing plot of Los perros, which pointed to social ills the Chileans did not wish to see. Financial reasons aside, Moock went to Buenos Aires be- cause of the confining social and professional situation he felt was inhibiting his writing and success. Moock was a liberal, out-spoken young man with ideas which shocked and angered the staid, conservative traditionalists in Chile. He confessed that his aloofness and frankness were liabilities, and thus it was easy to irritate and anger influential people who could have helped him. Many Chilean dramatists, coming from the ranks of journalists and newspapermen, resented a university-educated man, a circumstance which left Armando with few friends in his chosen profession. Armando also re- fused to accept the literary standards imposed in the "tertntlias" by the dramatists in vogue, because they continued to repeat the out-dated modes, themes, and techniques of the French and Spanish playwrights. The Argentine stage had already broadened the theatre- goer's mind via that "rebelidn contra los prejuicios" found in the realistic-naturalistic plays of Florencio Sinchez, Ernesto Herrera, Gregorio Laferrere, Roberto Payro’, and others, - ---~ Li "N' r(J (I) (L 45 who treated the physical, spiritual and moral degradation of individuals and families. Moock found that the Buenos Aires stage had already widely exposed Argentine writers to European ideas, themes, and techniques through the presentation of plays by Ibsen, Strindberg, Gorky, Dostoyevsky, Hauptmann, -r-I- Sudermann, Pirandello, Giacosa, Rovetta, and Bracco, plus T many French and Spanish dramatists. These men represent many different modes and themes, and provided the inspiration for “is many Argentine works. Thus, Argentina was prepared for Moock's sympathetic presentation of the social problems and prejudices encountered by the middle classes as well as by high society, and his plays were warmly received by the ”portefio" audiences. Armando Moock's dramatic world clearly reflects his middle-class background, and his plays best portray the lives, ambitions,problems, and reactions to the environment of this section of society. Writing as he did about the sector of which he formed an integral part and was most knowledgeable, the themes,action, and settings of his dramas bear the mark of reality, of veracity. There is another element which also lends itself to Moock's realism and authenticity. Though in- formation regarding his personal life is limited, there are .numerous similarities between many situations in his plays and novels and actual events in his private life.8 The environment of the dramatist's plays is either a small rural town or a large city, which permits Moock to make a comparison, in several plays, of the people, their activi- ties, and their values. Moock grew up in Santiago (Chile) and visited as well many small towns while on tour with the 46 Bdguena-Bfihrle Theatre Company. This knowledge gave him confidence in portraying these two environments, whereas the dramatist's desire for realism and veracity caused him to avoid the country setting which was completely unfamiliar to him. These two settings permit the playwright to air the age— old conflict of values between urban and rural dwellers. Much like writers dating back to the Spanish Renaissance, such as Antonio de Guevara in Menosprecio g3 corte y alabanza d3 aldea and,more recently, Emilio Carballido in Rosalba y los llaveros, Moock, a city boy, contrasts, in his first delightful "costum- brista" drama, Pueblecito (1918), the virtues of a country town and its inhabitants with the vices of an urban population. However, in the second play of this type, Mocosita (1929), the author presents city life in a more favorable light, leading Silva Caceres to note: Moock se aleja del costumbrismo tipicista riopla- tense, en boga en su epoca, y presenta una problemdtica donde no aparece oposicidn desvalorativa entre’la vida urbana y la vida campesina, sino que muestra como ha evolucionado el motivo costumbrista hasta él: la ciudad aporta un nuevo dmbito a1 campo y lo enriquece, a la vez que recoge lo ositivo de este. Tales son... las ideas que tenla Moock del "progreso."9 The heart of both plays is a love story. The debate over the alerits of city and country life, and the day-to-day activities <>f a family and their friends in a small country town round (Jut the body of the plays. Ventura Agudiez suggests that v I . . . . (3regor10.Martinez Sierra exerCised the most influence in Moock's theatre on this type of play, but feels that the 47 description of the towns shows an obvious Andalusian face much like that described by Ferndn Caballero or Valera.10 The earlier play, Pueblecito, was written in Chile and, therefore, represents what the dramatist determined was Chilean "local color." By "local color" is meant the presenta- tion of eccentric characters such as the neighborhood gossips, of colloquial language, the local political feuds, the activi- ties in the church, the ways by which people entertain them- selves, the social divisions among the populace, and rustic tasks such as making wine or jam, raising rabbits, milking a cow, or irrigating a field. When Pueblecito was performed in Argentina, it was con- sidered representative of Argentine life, and Mocosita, written in Argentina, was produced in Chile and accepted as Chilean. This indicates somewhat the universality of Moock's theatrical productions, and also suggests that the daily life in countries sharing a similar heritage of race, religion, and development may be quite alike without the non-traveled persons'being aware of these likenesses. The people in these two plays, their concerns, and their activities are basically representa- tive of all peoples living in small, rural towns. If the people of Moock's plays are presently in poor :Einancial circumstances, it is because some misfortune has be- .fallen the family, usually the death of the father which has :Eorced the mother to go to work to support one or more child- ren. The PeOPle still retain, however, their middle-class values and aspirations, which are centered around three 48 primary situations: marrying well, getting a professional degree, and making a fortune.11 The problems presented by the playwright, then, are those created by these values and aspirations. What is a suitable profession? Why must one become a professional? What is an advantageous marriage? Which values are more important in a marriage, integrity and happiness, or wealth and social pres- tige which may produce an unhappy couple? What is success? How is it achieved? What are its effects on man's moral and spiritual being? Armando Moock presents these concerns in numerous ways. In Isabel Sandoval, modas, the dramatist proposes a need for the man who works successfully with his hands as well as the professional. The dramatist suggests there are many jobs to be performed, and strongly favors a freedom of choice in any area in which the person will be most happy and useful. Most of the playwright's protagonists, however, are professionals: doctors, lawyers, scientists,and engineers. Relying on Moock's personal experiences, dramas such as Penitas gs amor and Alzame en tus brazos describe the sacrifices made by mothers and families in order to educate professionally an only or eldest ison, who will then support his family. Recreating his own father's example in a protagonist, Moock contrasts the strong work ethic of foreigners with the ”criollo" aristocrat who provides neither a useful service nor Performs any meaningful function, an attitude which is al- most unpatriotic in a young and growing nation. This theme is —q-m" .f\ 49 best presented in Monsieur Ferdinand Pontac, where the French immigrant is compared with his aristocratic brother-in-law. Florencio Sinchez uses this same theme in L3 gringa and in Barranca abajo, but seems to include all "criollos" whereas Moock concentrates on the deteriorating moral standards of the wealthy. One also senses Moock's deep concern for the negative prejudices of society with regard to writers and literary careers. As presented in many of his early plays, writers are rejected as suitable husbands, and they are looked upon as undependable, irreligious, bohemian, and more interested in good times than in earning a respectable living. The characters in Mocosita suggest that these negative traits are to be found in the play's male protagonist when they wish to degrade him in the eyes of the young girl who has fallen in love with him. While none of Moock's writers are very rich, they are not failures and are presented as very human individ- uals who wish, more than anything else, to write. {Marriage is treated in a range from first love and a young girl's erroneous concept of it to the disadvantages of marry- ing for money. Cuando venga gl_gm2£_provides the dramatist with an Opportunity to criticize both society for its mis- guided values and parents for not educating their daughters for marriage. Satire appears in Casamiento a .]_._a_1_ yankee and §l«castigo dg_§mg£, where parents place prestige and wealth above their child's happiness. The dramatist is quite insis- tent in pointing out the sad consequences when parents force l-l «q :1 a 50 their daughters to marry Someone they do not love. Again, he advocates freedom of choice, this time in choosing a life- long mate. There is also a strong cynical attitude toward women ex- pressed in the lack of trust with which the playwright regards women, both wives and sweethearts. It is a continuing theme throughout Moock's dramatic career and, perhaps, reaches its culmination in Del brazg_y pg; la_g§lle, where the wife is briefly indiscreet and the husband has to re-evaluate his per- sonal values in terms of the offense and its relation to his future as well as that of his wife. Closely related to marriage is the role of the mother, which is strongly portrayed in Moock's theatre as one of love, support, and sacrifice. She is the strength and back- bone of the family. Families continue without a father, per- haps because there is always a male friend or relative to ad- vise. However, tragedy occurs in families where the father survives the mother. In Estgy solo y la quiero the father becomes embroiled in his personal problems, to the exclusion of those of his children, and the result is the moral, spirit- ual, and physical break-up of the once closely-knit family group. Another aspect of motherhood is the dramatist's provoca- tive study of who has the right to become a mother and under what conditions. Armando Moock is critical of social mores which allow no exceptions, and of fathers who are unwilling to accept their obligations. For Moock, the desire to be a ‘M' 9L 51 mother is a natural, overpowering instinct. One play in par- ticular, Natacha, has a very modern conclusion for what could have been a highly controversial subject in Moock's day. Natacha refuses to marry her child's father, for she is more preoccupied with motherhood than marriage; most importantly, however, her personal wealth permits her to carry out her un- usual plan. There are two plays which treat sympathetically the homely woman in society by implying that society tends to hold outmoded values regarding physical attractiveness while deny- ing the moral and spiritual beauty that may be hiding under the flawed surface. The dramatist's introduction to Natacha, quoted elsewhere in this study,indicates his personal apprecia- tion of certain women friends whose talented minds and recep- tive spirits will outlast any physical beauty. La arafia gris and Natacha are both attempts to underscore this attitude, for the males in both plays suffer an almost poetic justice for failing to perceive the good qualities of the homely wife or female relative. .A characteristic common in Moock's theatre is its ob- vious appeal to the emotions. Fernando Debesa, writing about the playwright, notes: He aqui el rasgo distintivo de este dramaturgo