The strength of nationalism in critical readings of nineteenth-century Brazilian literature: the case of José de Alencar and Visconde de Taunay

Abstract

With the objective of reflecting on some aspects that involve the critical debate on nationalism in Brazilian literature of the 19th century, this work will address the critical essays present in the re-editions of two works by Visconde de Taunay, produced by Sérgio Medeiros, Ierecê a Guaná (2000 ) and Memórias (2005). These works contain criticisms by Antonio Candido, Lúcia Sá, Haroldo de Campos and Sérgio Medeiros himself. In all the essays, one can see the resumption of the discussion of nationalism in literature in the period of transition from Romanticism to Realism. In this perspective, the elements of discussion present in the works of José de Alencar and Visconde de Taunay were presented from the criticisms that Taunay made to Alencar in his autobiography Memórias. In a second moment, focus will be given to another case of critical clash between writers of the period - Joaquim Nabuco and José de Alencar - based on critical essays by Sandra Jatahy Pesavento and Tania Franco Carvalhal.