Ilustración, educación y teatro en España a finales del siglo XVIII. Algunas claves

Abstract

For Spaniards during the Enlightenment, education was a key element in their proposals for reform and modernisation of a country still stubbornly anchored in the feudal structures of the Ancien Régime. As such, different educational issues pervaded the writings and public activities of the most progressive intellectuals. In the same way, educational themes began to pervade the theatre, which these intellectuals saw as an ideal platform for disseminating the ideas of modernisation and convergence with other European countries. Based on a review of different documentary sources from the period and other pertinent literature, this paper shows how educational issues permeated the work of numerous authors, who considered drama a useful tool for the transmission of principles, values and social norms, with the ultimate aim of building a new society for Spanish citizens. At the same time, we analyse different initiatives designed to modernise both theatres and the plays enacted within them, as media for public education designed to appeal to a new audience – a reflection of the new civility.