Pedagogia contra caciquisme: La farsa, d'Àngel Guimerà

La farsa was premiered at the Romea theatre on January 31, 1899, but, as it is demonstrated in the article, was conceived at least in 1892. Despite its dramatic nature, Àngel Guimerà presents this work as a «comedy», among other reasons, to enhance its explicit satire of the political system of the Restoration, especially of caciquism and electoral fraud. In a contemporary Catalan urban setting and by means of an honest teacher whom a cacique wants to manipulate, the relationship between intellectuals and society is also considered. Guimera’s perspective is that of the Lliga de Catalunya (League of Catalonia), which was part of Unió Catalanista (Catalanist Union), but with a personal vision, ethical and deliberately idealistic. It is embodied through his characteristic theatrical resources, beyond the most conventional political theater. The reception of the work, despite the acceptance of the public and the praises for the performance, was mixed, often depending above all on ideological issues, but also on the assessment of the verisimilitude, particularly of the teacher character.