Brás Cubas and the tradition of seignorial narrators

Abstract

According to a dialectical theory that associates literature with society, the hypothesis of this article suggests the existence of a tradition of seignorial narrators in Brazilian novels. With the main characteristic being the presence of a narrator character who belongs to a seignorial class placed in fictional situations, this tradition begins with Brás Cubas and continues with Bento Santiago, João Miramar, Serafim Ponte Grande, Carlos de Melo, Paulo Honório and Riobaldo. In all cases, there is a contradiction to be deciphered between the narrative focus and the compositional plan of each novel, with the narrative focus occupying a partial foreground and the composition an impartial background. The reader is then involved in a realistic and dialectical aesthetic experience in which the partial versions are overcome in favor of a contradictory perception of reality. Following the historical and geographical trajectory of the members of the tradition, it will be possible to develop a comparison of some relevant authors for Brazilian literature: Machado de Assis, Oswald de Andrade, José Lins do Rego, Graciliano Ramos and João Guimarães Rosa.