The evolution of Chinese images in the poetry of Lorca

Abstract

Federico García Lorca refers to China in twelve poems. This article aims to study the evolution of the symbolism of Chinese images in the different stages of Lorca’s creative trajectory. The analysis starts from the possible sources of these images, such as the influence of the Orientalism in Hispanic modernism and the inspiration of the oriental arts that Lorca had at his disposal. Through the close reading of three poems, — “Jardín chino”, “Fábula y rueda de los tres amigos” and “Panorama ciego de Nueva York” —, we show that in the first Lorca, the oriental images are linked with the childhood world characterized by illusion and love. Subsequently in his later works, the Chinese represent the marginalized individuals within a dehumanized civilization. In this way, Lorca is not limited to exoticism, but adapts the images of another culture to his own poetic concerns showing an evolution from the intimate aspects to the social ones.