Um certo escrivão Caminha: as desigualdades sociais na obra de Lima Barreto (1870-1909)

Abstract

The dissertation addresses the relationship between History and Literature and interprets a work of Brazilian literature written in the early 20th century, which deals with social inequalities and is set in Rio de Janeiro, the country's capital at the time. The time frame of the research covers the period from 1870 to 1909, beginning with the movement of intellectuals from the so-called Generation of 1870, who proposed to think about the multiple national identity of Brazil, reflecting the changes that had occurred in politics and society. The time frame ends with the publication of the work interpreted, the novel: Recordações do escrivão Isaías Caminha, by the author Afonso Henriques de Lima Barreto (1881-1922). This work has as its central character a mulatto, born in the interior of Rio de Janeiro, who suffered from the prejudice present in Brazilian society during the period analyzed and believed that, by moving from the interior to the capital and earning a doctorate, he would have an easier life. Lima Barreto, a black and marginalized writer, was born in Rio de Janeiro, was a civil servant and journalist and died at the age of 41. He proposed to question and rethink the formation of Brazilian nationality in that period, which treated indigenous people, blacks and rural people as exotic beings, seen as guilty of national ills. The dissertation has as its research problem: how does the novel Recordações do escrivão Isaías Caminha represent the racial inequalities existing in Brazilian society at the turn of the 19th century to the 20th century? This is the research problem of the dissertation, that is, the question that guides the research. Methodologically, it is based on the historiographical operation of Michel de Certeau, who analyzes the production of the historiographical text considering the social place of production, the practice and the writing. The research concludes that historical and literary narratives are related, but are not the same, and that literature is a plausible source of research for historians.