O caso Iaiá Garcia e a ressemantização do modelo inglês do romance

Abstract

This study presents an analysis which identifies the presence of some elements from the English culture and literature in the novel Iaiá Garcia and how is developed the process of resematization of these foreign elements by Machado de Assis in order to keep the romantic project of construction of a Brazilian national identity. Therefore, it is used the theory and methodology of comparative literature and it is taken Jane Austen s novel, Pride and Prejudice, as a relevant contrasting point to verify the characteristics of the English model of romance, observing how themes such as marriage, women s social role and the appreciation of money have been dealt by both authors in their respective novels. We have researched about the ascension of the romance occurred in England and what involved the import of that new literary form to Brazil as well as the formation of the reading public for that new gender. Thus, we analyze the context where the Brazilian Romantism is implemented by considering the several discussions about the nationalism criteria stimulated by the romantic project. Also, some of Machado de Assis essays on criticism are taken in order to recognize some embryos of modernism in Iaiá Garcia. The theorical basis for this study is mainly focused on the marxist sociologic perspective by Antonio Candido and Roberto Schwarz. Moreover, Ana Pizarro s concept of resematization guides the comparative study.