Space and Place in the Out-of Doors settings of the Farsas Y Eglogas by Lucas Fernandez, Spanish Playwright (1474-1542)

The out-of-doors settings, created in dialogue in the secular and sacred works by the sixteenth century Spanish playwright, Lucas Fernandez, are the focus of this dissertation. Significantly, Fernandez is the only one of his theatrical contemporaries in Spain to place all of his dramas outside. Previously, scholars have mentioned his settings only cursorily or have regarded them as fixed and unmoving backdrops. I argue, using the principles of contemporary theater semiotics, that the mountains, hills, meadows and forests in Fernandez’ works are dynamic.This dissertation explores, first of all, how our playwright creates a sense of the outdoors on stage. Included in this discussion are the possible sources for Fernandez’ works that might contribute to these settings, including the geography of Salamanca, where he served as parish priest, and Portugal, which he visited, paintings in the OldCathedral of Salamanca and literary sources, including Juan del Encina. Next, the many ways in which space and place signify in Fernandez’ theatrical works are studied. His characters are positioned, defined and situated socially and emotionally, and attracted to or opposed by the dramatic space of the outdoors. Attention is given here to spaces in the plays such as mountains, forests, lowlands, water, starlitskies and roads that have clear archetypal associations. An exploration of feminine space is included, as well as an examination of binary opposition created through, characters' movement from city to country, low spaces to high spaces, high to low and dense spaces to open ones.In conclusion, the settings in these dramas allow Fernandez’ characters—rustic and courtly, male and female—considerable freedom to move about and encounter one another. At no time do any of Fernandez’ characters enter an indoor structure such as a palace or a church to celebrate weddings, good fortune or Christ's birth or death, which are the major events in Fernandez’ plays. Rather, the out-of-doors, the place where all the characters gather, offers ample room for structuring these events—both secular and sacred—in a less formal, alternative space.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Spanish and Portuguese

Grantor dc:publisher

The Ohio State University

Year dc:date

2000

Author dc:creator

• Kennedy, Cecilia Jeanette

Contributors dc:contributor

• R. Larson, Donald

• Romance Literature
• Theater Studies

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1364218236

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1364218236