Theatricality, Suspense, and Cruelty in Ignacio Martínez de Pisón's «El filo de unos ojos»

Abstract

I propose that in «El filo de unos ojos» (1985) —a story that represents the first narrative of Ignacio Martínez de Pisón very well— the author resorts to suspense and theatrical elements to explore both dominance-based relationships and cruelty, the latter as an element that remains latent in every human being, but that can be activated when individuals are detached from social and political referentes. In this way, a story that seems to avoid any social comment becomes an indirect and subtle criticism toward the political apathy that characterized Spanish society during the transition to democracy.