Description
- Abstract:
- Discussing peculiar narrative ways in Ferdinand Denis' ‘Palmares’, a short novel practically unknown in the fortune of Brazilian early literature, this essay examines Denis' concepts on the role of fiction in the foundation of Brazilian nationality. ‘Palmares’ tells the story of the famous "quilombo" destruction and has a black protagonist, Zumbi, with all the virtues of the traditional European hero. The thesis is that its anonymity in Brazilian literary history, for lacking esthetic values, is due to Denis' belief that traits as those would bring such problems in verisimilitude that he preferred to describe tropical nature instead of developing epic episodes that would place too much emphasis on an inconvenient representative for the Nation.
- Ao discutir métodos narrativos peculiares de 'Palmares' de Ferdinand Denis, um romance curto e praticamente desconhecido na literatura brasileira antiga, este ensaio examina os conceitos de Denis sobre o papel da ficção na fundação da nacionalidade brasileira. ‘Palmares’ conta a história da famosa destruição do quilombo através de um protagonista negro, Zumbi, com todas as virtudes do herói europeu tradicional. A tese é que seu anonimato na história literária brasileira, por carecer de valores estéticos, se deve a que, como afirma Denis, tais traços significariam problemas de verossimilhança ao preferir descrever a natureza tropical em vez de desenvolver episódios épicos com uma ênfase excessiva num representante inconveniente para a nação.
Citation
Rouanet, Maria Helena,
"Building realities: inquiries about the function of literature in the 19th century"
(1997).
BRASIL/BRAZIL: A Journal of Brazilian Literature.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.26300/6hkd-kx38
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BRASIL/BRAZIL: A Journal of Brazilian Literature
...BRASIL/BRAZIL: A Journal of Brazilian Literature (ISSN: 2526-4885), founded in 1988, publishes scholarly articles on Brazilian literature and in Comparative Literature with a focus on Brazilian literature, as well as book reviews, interviews with writers, English-language translations of Brazilian literature …