The Trickster-Function in the Theatre of Garcia Lorca

'The Trickster-Function in the Theatre of Garcia Lorca' is a bold and original study of Garcia Lorca's plays which offers an important critical insight on a selection of his most complex, challenging and least-studied works. Using the image of the 'trickster' as leitmotif, it argues for a reading of Garcia Lorca's plays which highlights androgyny, male fantasy, masochism, masquerade and the carnivalesque. The introduction of the concept of the 'trickster-function' (a model which draws on anthropology, psychoanalysis and literary theories) is an entirely new approach which provides the opportunity for fresh interpretations of the chosen texts, viewed as theatre engaging an audience. The study includes detailed textual analyses of Amor de Don Perlimplin con Belisa en su jardin, Asi que pasen cinco años and El público, as well as extensive examination of La zapatera prodigiosa and Bodas de sangre. In addition it makes reference to the lesser-known El sueño de la vida, Retablillo de Don Cristóbal, Dragón, and El loco y la loca, together with a relevant selection of Garcia Lorca's drawings and prose. Innovative and challenging, 'The Trickster-Function in the Theatre of Garcia Lorca' constitutes an important contribution to the understanding of the theatrical output of this major figure of the Spanish literary canon, enabling us to see his work in a new light. Dr SARAH WRIGHT is Lecturer in Hispanic Studies at the University of Hull.