A Novel Debut: A mocidade de Trajano

Abstract

This article intends to revisit the writing history of the novel published in 1871 by Alfredo d'Escragnolle Taunay and rejected by himself after a few years. An attempt is also made to verify the marks that, according to the critics, refer Taunay's text to those of Macedo, mainly regarding its relationship with melodrama (taken here in its broadest sense). In A Mocidade de Trajano, attention should be paid to the treatment given by the author to the landscape and the appreciation of nature, the "ideal scenario", as opposed to the observation of the erosion of master/slave relations on large rural properties during the second half of the 19th century . Finally, in this article, there are some reflections about the ideological affiliation of the character Trajano to European values, notably French ones.