History of Literature: The Investigation and Diffusion of Sourcess

   CONTENTS  

Foundations of Brazilian literature

The analysis of discussions and interpretations on the foundations of Brazilian literary production is evident in the activities of the History of Literature Research Group: The Investigation and Diffusion of Sources. The group’s scientific production is based on a database of rare texts hosted by PUCRS. Including reproductions of texts and microfilms of newspapers and magazines, prefaces and postscripts, the database focuses on materials mainly from the 19th century, specifically the period from 1830 to 1870.

By reviewing and cross-referencing data on these centuryold periodicals, some of which can only be observed at the US Library of Congress, the group’s researchers were able to retrieve primary texts written by authors from France, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. At that time, what could be identified as genuinely national literature was mainly discussed in Rio de Janeiro, which was then the capital of the empire. Currently, the debate on the process of local literary formation has been reinvigorated by postgraduate students supervised by Professor Maria Eunice Moreira, the group’s chair, and her peers.

The studies are divided into theoretical and practical lines. The former seeks grounds for a critical discussion of the history of Brazilian literature. The latter focuses on scientific productions; the supervision of master’s and doctoral dissertations; the elaboration of projects for the CNPq; and the organization of events, such as the International Seminar on History of Literature, which has occurred every two years since 2005.

The activities include international and inter-institutional projects, such as the Working Group History of Literature at the National Association of Post-graduation and Research in Literature and Linguistics (ANPOLL), created in 1992, and a partnership with the University of Lisbon (Portugal). Additionally, Spain and Argentina are sources for research.

The latest challenge is posed by the investigation of the Southern writers’ collections available at Delfos – Space of Documentation and Cultural Memory (PUCRS) and the study of those authors’ literary genesis.