A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF JOSÉ MORENO ARENAS’S TEATRO MÍNIMO AND MATSUO BASHŌ’S HAIKU

Abstract

Based on close readings of selected pulgas dramáticas from José Moreno Arenas’s teatro mínimo and haikus by Matsuo Bashō, this comparative study examines the intercultural relevance of two literary forms that, despite emerging from distinct cultural, historical, and artistic traditions, rely on extreme brevity and concentrated imagery to communicate emotional, philosophical, and ethical insights. While one belongs to contemporary Spanish micro-theatre and the other to classical Japanese poetry, both employ formal restraint and narrative compression as central aesthetic strategies while they engage robust thematic concerns that extend beyond their minimal forms. The study addresses four research questions: 1) What thematic and structural similarities emerge from their shared reliance on brevity and simplicity? 2) How is minimalism employed as a strategy for conveying deep meaning through silence, omission, and implication? 3) In what ways do these micro-forms engage the reader or spectator in active interpretation? 4) Why could the comparative study of these seemingly disparate literary forms enrich humanities curricula? Framed within comparative poetics and minimalist aesthetics, the analysis demonstrates how teatro mínimo and haiku transform brevity into intensity, generating moments of sudden insight and emotional resonance. The study further argues that minimalist literary practices foster cross-cultural dialogue, critical thinking, and pedagogical innovation, revealing shared artistic strategies for expressing depth, complexity, and universality through simplicity.