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This article focuses on the representation of Spain´s democratic transition in contemporary Spanish drama, and specifically on the phenomenon of golpismo (the practice of coups d´état), in two works: Antonio Buero Vallejo´s Jueces en la noche and José Martín Elizondo´s Las Hilanderas.
Despite their use of different aesthetic approaches, both works convey the apprehension arising from the extreme Right´s attempts at political destabilization and threats of a coup d´état during the first years of the transition to democracy. On the basis of a realist aesthetic, albeit one which sometimes uses symbolic techniques, Buero Vallejo offers a tragedy characterized by concreteness, in which the fictional situations, characters and facts can be readily identified with contemporary reality. The specific plot and thematic development of this work expose the theory on which the fascist outlook is based, offering an analysis of one of the most typical phenomena of this period:
the strategy of tension. By contrast, Martín Elizondo develops, on the basis of avant-garde techniques, a historicist reflection that conceives of the Spanish present as a legacy and repetition of the past. His work introduces a circular notion of history that emphasizes the reproduction of certain milestones, reflects on Spain´s tragic destiny, and is structured around myths. The essay likewise underscores the complex use of space and time in both works, and the authors´ reliance on art as a central device in these plays.
