THE NATURALISTIC NOVEL OF BRAZIL

347 Pages·016.649 MB·English

by  LOOS, DOROTHY SCOTT

COPYRIGHTED
by
DOROTHY SCOTT LOOS
1950
THE NATURALISTIC NOVEL OP BRAZIL
Dorothy Scott Loos
Submitted In partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy, in the Faculty of Philosophy,
Columbia University.
PREFACE
There exists no detailed, critically Integrated, or well-
informed study of the naturalistic novel of Brazil. It is the
purpose of the present work, therefore, to study the inception,
development, essentially native characteristics, and particular
contributions of this genre to Brazilian letters during the period
1870 to 1922.
The writer takes full cognizance of the fact that
Naturalism in the novel is a product of nineteenth century French
literature, and that the novelists of Brazil, not unlike those of
maiy other countries, underwent, in greater or less proportion,
certain technical and thematic influences emanating from the theorie
and example of Emile Zola, of his contemporaries and followers.
Nevertheless, it must be asserted, as baslit to the work’s true
orientation, that we are not engaged, primarily, in a study of the
Influences of Zolaesque Naturalism on the novel of Brazil, Such
an approaoh would be negative and unfruitful; more importantly
it would disregard the obvious fact that Brazil had a novelistio
tradition of her own, and that the naturalistic novel, though
produced to some extent under the technical aegis of a foreign
literary fashion, could not, presumably, on that account turn its
baok completely to its own tradition or fail to concern itself
with those themes, problems, and ideas springing from the period
and looale In which it was written. Consequently, the attention
given here ani there in the following ohapters to the impact of
Frenoh Naturalism on the Brazilian novel Is to be taken as
li.
tangential and beside our main purpose, since the milieu from
whioh they sprang was different, it naturally followed that the
novels themselves were different. In 3hort our study is that of
the Brazilian novel from 1870 to 1922.
Before the year 1870 the chief critics of Brazilian litera­
ture were foreigners and, as is manifest below in Chapter I, the
birth of native criticism coincided with the rise of Naturalism.
The three major- critics during the years 1870-1903 — Sylvio
Romero, Jose Verlsslmo, and Araripe Junior — did not, however,
carry through a systematic literary study of the epoch in which
they lived. Although Romero outlined the evolution of literary
genres in Brazil, he died before he was able to make a critical
appraisal of the authors he had cited. The studies of Araripe
Junior and Jose Verlsslmo are, properly speaking, no more than
critical vignettes of individual authors, and fall short of
filling the need for a comprehensive and coordinated examination
of the period as a whole.
In 1894 there was published a critical study entitled
0 Naturallsmo no Brasil.^ This wohk,however, does not altogether
fulfill the promise of the title, for the author gives most of
his attention to the development of Naturalism in France and other
countries. He enumerates some Brazilian writers who can be con­
sidered naturalistic but studies briefly only one such writer:
Alulzio Azevedo.
Since 1902 criticism in Brazil has followed the pattern
of studying individual authors rather than periods of literature.
1. Adherbal de Carvalho, Esbocos Llterarloa. (Rio de
Janeiro: Garnler, 1902) ”0 Nature! ismo .no..Brasil" (published first
In 1894.in book form, later Included in present work).
ill.
This has been true partially because Brazilian writers to a great
extent have been eclectic and individualistic, and have not tended
to ally themselves with literary schools. Of present-day criticism,
Ronald de Carvalho’s Pequena Hjstorla da Llteratura Brasllelra,
Jose de Oliveira's Hjstorla Breve da Llteratura Brasllelra. Braullo
Sanchez-Saez' Vieja e nueva llteratura del Brasil, and Jose Bezerra
de Freitas' Hjstorla da Llteratura Brasllelra are the most complete
histories of Brazilian literature to date. Yet Ronald de Carvalho
devotes only nine pages of his work to Naturalism in Brazilian
prose. Oliveira, while also giving only scant attention to the
naturalistic period, does raise the question as to whether a serious
study of the period is not needed. Sanchez-Saez deplores the
treatment given by Brazilian critics to the naturalistic writers,
and Freitas gives considerable attention to the period of Naturalism.
Of criticism concerned with prose writing and with the
novel specifically, a number of useful works are available: GrieCo
Agrippino's Evolucao da Prosa Brasllelra, Bezerra de Freitas'
invaluable Forma e Expressao no Romance Brasllelro. and the im­
portant Issue’*’ of the Revlsta do Brasil devoted to the study of
the Brazilian novel. Freitas examines six authors as naturalistic
writers. All other writers of that epoch and immediately thereafter
he studies under the classification of "ecleotismo romantico"•
Agripplno makes no distinction betweenR&eallsm and Naturalism*^
1. Revlsta do Brasil, Anno IV, no. 35 (Mato, 1941), 237 p*
2. Marcel Braunschvlg. La lltterature francalse contem-
noralne (Paris: Armand Colin, 1926), pp. 107-108, points out the
essential differences between the two: ”Le realisms avalt simplement
voulu fairs de l'art la reproduction fidele et integrals de la
realite et avait-alnsi cree le roman document a Ire:, le naturalisms
pretendlt s'appuyer dur la soience gt orea le roman experiment ale..
Le premier pratique uniquement la methode d'observation, se conten-
tant d'aocumuler des documents pour donner 1'impression de la vie;
(continued)
iv.
Both critics examine the various authors Individually and not as a
group* The study In the Revlsta do Brasil does not consider
Individual authors In classifications of literary schools.
The task for the writer of the present work, then, Is: (1)
Vo trace the historical development of the naturalistic novel In
Brazil; (2) to make a critical Interpretation of the principal
novels of the five major naturalistic novelists, studying especially
the essential characteristics of Brazilian Naturalism*
The first part of the present work, Chapters I and XI,
traces the various tendencies In the Brazilian novel before 1880;
describes the new novellstlc aesthetic In Brazil; and discusses
the political, Intellectual and literary background for the emer­
gence of the naturalistic novel* The second part, Chapters III, IV,
and V, analyses In detail the major naturalistic works of five
writers of the period 1880-1903: Alulzlo Azevedo, Julio Rlbelro,
Ingles de Sousa, Adolpho Camlnha, and Domingos Olympio* The works
of these five major naturalistic writers, together with the
naturalistic elements found In the works of quasl-naturallstlc
le ^econde, y ajoutant le methods d*experimentation, lnstltue des
experiences qul aboutlssent a des conclusions auxquelles la seule
observation dgs falts n’auralt pas pu oondulre *.* Aussl tandls que
le realisms mele encore parfols a la peinture de la vie contemporaln<
cells des temps passes et dgs pays lolntalns, le nature^ lsme,s'attacl
t-^1 presque exoluslvement a la repre sentatIon de la reallte
presente* Pour ce qul est de la forme meme du romaa, les reallstes
donngnt toujours beaucoup d' linportanoe a la composition et oonserveh
en generals le oulte du style; les naturallstes, deslreux d’offrlr
de simples Mtranohes dg vie”, ne se souclent pas autant de falre
des romans blen composes et^surtout lls estlment qu^un romancler ne
dolt pas lalsser voir dans son style sa personnallte*
Albert Sohlnz.(Nineteenth Century French Readings, New
York: Henry Holt, 1939), II, 157, makes further distinctions be­
tween Realism and Naturalism* He finds that whereas bourgeois
types were studied by the realists, the naturalistic writers chose
their characters from the lower strata of society* Finally, the
naturalists did not recoil from the sordid and crude since for them
It represented an essential part of reality*
v*
writers of the sane epoch show that Naturalism dominated this
period of the Brazilian novel. Works of these quasl-naturdlsts
appearing after 1903, are also considered in Chapter V, The last
part of the study, Chapter VI, aims to show how the spirit of
Natural ism persisted in the Brazilian novel from 1903-1922 even
after the major sources of inspiration were gone*
The writer has excluded a detailed study of both the
pre-naturalistlc period of the Brazilian novel from 1841 to 1870,
and also the immediate post-naturalistic period of 1903-1922*
She has, however, considered the major tendencies in the Brazilian
novel throughout the period 1870-1922* Primary emphasis has been
placed on the Brazilian novel of the period 1880-1903.
Difficulties of tws types were encountered in the preparation
of this work: the first, a dearth of completed bibliographical
source materials; and the second, the impossibility of obtaining
3ome of the minor novels referred to, maay of which are unavailable
even in Brazil,
Of the consulted bibliographies listed in this work,
several were found to be more valuable than others* Sacramento
Blake, Dlcclonarlo Blbllographlco Brasllelro, covering authors
and works from 1883 to 1902, was invaluable* J. F. Velho-Sobrlnho ,
Dlcolonarlo Blo-blbllograflco Brasllelro, is the most complete
bibliography available today on authors covered, but unfortunately,
does not go beyond the letter nBn of baptismal names. Ford,
Whittem and Raphael, A Tentative Bibliography of Brazilian Belles-
Lettres does not list critical studies of authors1 works* Arthur
Motta's Vultos e Llvros partially fills this need, but his wdrk
is also incomplete and many authors are not Included in his
"profiles11 • Bibliographies of particular authors published in
special issues of the periodical Autores e Livro3 were found to
be the most complete and correct as of the present time. The
writer had recourse to several regional bibllographies of Brazil,
notably Guilherme Studart’3 Dicoionario Bio-bibliographico
Cearense and has found much helpful material therein*
TABLE OP CONTENTS
Page
PREFACE ii
Chapter
I. BACKGROUND 1
Political and Social Currents
Tobias Barreto and the Recife School
Positivism
Literary Criticism
The Pre-Naturalistlc Novel: Development
and Major Tendencies
The Period of Transition: 1870-1880
II. A NEW NOVELISTIC AESTHETIC 23
Influence of Ega de Queiroz and Zola
Critical Reactions
III. ALUIZIO AZEVEDO (1857-1913) 44
Life
Classification of Writings-Comments
on Minor Works
Role as Naturalism’s Chief Exponent
Influence of Eca de Queiroz and Zola
Naturalistic Elements in 0 Mulato
Naturalistic Elements in Azevedo1s
Other Works
Literary Analysis
Brazilian Elements
Evaluation
IV. OTHER MAJOR AND SECONDARY NOVELISTS 128
Julio Cesar Ribeiro (1845-1890)
InglSs de Sousa (1853- 1918)
Adolpho Caminha (1867-1897)
Domingos Olymplo (1850-1906)
Laok of Originality
Philosophy and Literary Techniques
Literary Analysis
Brazilian Elements
Evaluation
Secondary Novelists
viii
Chapter Page
V. ELEMENTS OP NATURALISM IN QUASI-NATURALISTIC 247
NOVELISTS
The Psychological Novelists: Machado de
Assis and Raul d'Avila Pompeia
Second Generation Quasi-Naturalistic, Minor
and Eclectic Authors
The SertSo and Regional Novel
VI. THE BRAZILIAN NOVEL PROM 1903- 1922 289
Reaction Against Naturalism and New
Currents
Persistence of Naturalism
VII. CONCLUSIONS 301
BIBLIOGRAPHY- 322
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