Amidst Uncertainty and Violence: Suspense Strategies in Juan Mayorga's El chico de la última fila

Abstract

Juan Mayorga is recognized as one of the foremost accomplished playwrights of Spain today given his prolific literary production. In his plays, Mayorga presents socio-psychological elements through his experimental plays. Amidst his literary production, El chico de la última fila occupies a prominent place; awarded the Premio Max for best Author (2008) and the Premio Telón Chivas (2007). The play awakens the interest of readers and involves them in its narrative universe using emotive techniques akin to cinematrography. The objective of this study is to analyze dramatic emotion in this play using the approach proposed by Greg M. Smith in Film Structure and the Emotion System (2003). This study will examine suspense in El chico de la última fila, the techniques devised to evoke it, and its function in relation to the theme of violence.