SOURCE: "The Function of Myth in the Plays of Xavier Villaurrutia," in Hispania, Vol. 55, No. 2, May, 1972, pp. 256-63.

In the following essay, Cypess explores the classical roots of the imagery employed by Villaurrutia in his dramatic works.

As a dramatist, Xavier Villaurrutia has been classified universalista and afrancesado but rarely mexicano, despite the fact that his efforts were directed toward the creation of a Mexican theatrical tradition.¹ It is true that in the plays of his first period—one-acters all given as part of the experimental theater movements of the thirties—he made no attempt to represent scenes from contemporary or historical Mexico. These plays did not allude to historical or literary figures or typical Mexican characters with whom the audience could identify. Instead, Villaurrutia was involved in making general statements on the themes of love, truth, illusion and reality, and in practicing the techniques he had learned...