Evaluation of Literature at the End of the Nineteenth Century: Change and Permanence in Critical Discourse

de Almeida, Leandro Thomaz

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-46837-2_6

Leandro Thomaz de Almeida⁴

Part of the book series: New Directions in Book History ((NDBH))

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Abstract

The reception of naturalism in France, Brazil, and Argentina offers material for a fruitful comparative study of the different modes of reception experienced by Émile Zola’s novels at the hands of the scholars of those three countries in the late nineteenth century. Following a brief survey of the criticism of naturalistic literature in Brazilian, Argentine, and French periodicals and books, this chapter discusses the possible reasons for the similarities and diversity they present. Questions surrounding the appropriation of cultural elements from European countries and its impact on the literature of the countries in question are discussed. Drawing from the critical texts collected, this provides a valuable contribution to the debate concerning the cultural background of some American countries.

This research was undertaken with support from FAPESP (The São Paulo Research Foundation).

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Notes

1.
BAGULEY, David. Le naturalisme et ses genres. Paris, 1995.
2.
See the chapter by Pedro Paulo in this volume.
3.
PAGÈS, Alain. La bataille littéraire. Paris, 1989, p. 17. Unless otherwise noted, all translations are by the author.
4.
PAGÈS, Alain. Émile Zola – bilan critique. Paris, 1993, pp. 48–49.
5.
Therefore, cf. ABREU, Márcia. “A leitura do romance”, in: Os caminhos dos livros. Campinas, SP and São Paulo, 2003.
6.
D’AUREVILLY, J. Barbey. Le Roman contemporain. Paris, 1902, p. 232.
7.
Ibid, p. 234.
8.
BRUNETIÈRE, Ferdinand. Le roman naturaliste. Paris, 2002 (1st edn., 1892), p. 3.
9.
A good presentation of this point can be found in EHRARD, Jean. L’idée de nature en France dans la première moitié du XVIII siècle. Paris, 1994.
10.
BRUNETIÈRE, Le roman naturaliste, p. 26.
11.
Ibidem.
12.
BRUNETIÈRE, Ferdinand. L’art et la morale. 2nd edn. Paris, 1898, p. 57.
13.
SAPIRO, Gisèle. La responsabilité de l’écrivain – litterature, droit et morale en France (XIX–XXI siècle). Paris, 2011, p. 393.
14.
Ibid. p. 325.
15.
LAPORTE, Antoine. Naturalisme ou l’immoralité littéraire – Émile Zola, l’homme et l’ouvre. Paris, 1894, p. 165.
16.
Ibidem.
17.
SUWALA, Halina. Autour de Zola et du naturalisme. Paris, 1993, p. 248.
18.
BRUNETIÈRE, L’art et la morale, p. 26.
19.
This is made clear, for example, in the first comprehensive critical text by Dutra e Mello about a novel written in Brazil about A moreninha by Joaquim Manuel de Macedo. Cf. ALMEIDA, Leandro Thomaz de. “Recepção crítica da prosa ficcional de Joaquim Manuel de Macedo”, in: ABREU, Márcia. Trajetórias do romance – circulação, leitura e escrita nos séculos XVIII e XIX. Campinas, SP, 2008.
20.
DINARTE, Sylvio (Escragnolle Taunay). Estudos críticos II – Litteratura e philologia. Rio de Janeiro, 1883, p. 44.
21.
Ibid. p. 17.
22.
VERÍSSIMO, José. “O romance naturalista no Brasil”, in: VERÍSSIMO, José. Teoria, crítica e história literária. Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, 1977, p. 185.
23.
Ibid. p. 187.
24.
Ibid. p. 191.
25.
ARARIPE JUNIOR. “Estilo tropical, a fórmula do naturalismo brasileiro”, in: ARARIPE JUNIOR. Teoria, crítica e história literária. Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, 1978, p. 137.
26.
Ibidem.
27.
Ibid. p. 211.
28.
HASSLOCHER, Germano. “O homem – romance de Aluizio de Azevedo – 4ª edição. Edictores B.L. Garnier & C. – Impresso no Havre”. Gazeta da Tarde. 12 September 1888, s/p.
29.
Ibid. Gazeta da Tarde. 17 September 1988, s/p.
30.
Ibid, Gazeta da Tarde. 20 September 1988, s/p.
31.
PUJOL, Alfredo. “A carne de Júlio Ribeiro”, in: RIBEIRO, Júlio. A carne. Cotia-SP, 2002, p. 323.
32.
Ibid. p. 324.
33.
Ibidem.
34.
Ibid.
35.
Ibid. p. 327.
36.
Ibid.
37.
Ibid. p. 329.
38.
Ibid. p. 332.
39.
Ibidem.
40.
ESPÓSITO, Fabio. El naturalismo en la prensa porteña: reseñas y polémicas sobre la formación de la novela nacional: 1880–1892. La Plata, 2011. E-book, p. 4. I am grateful to Márcia Abreu for the bibliographic suggestion.
41.
Ibid. pp. 4–5.
42.
Ibid. p. 9.
43.
LUGONES, Benigno. “Carta literaria”, in: ESPÓSITO. El naturalismo en la prensa porteña, p. 17.
44.
The copy of Le roman experimental that seems to be available in Argentina is an 1880 edition, cited in the article by Ernesto Quesada who will be treated below. What must be considered, however, is that Le roman experimental is a compilation of articles previously published in Le bien public and Le Voltaire, meaning that the published volume was not the only way to access the texts. I thank Peter Paulo Catharina for this information.
45.
LUGONES, “Carta literaria”, p. 17.
46.
Ibid. pp. 18–19.
47.
Ibid. p. 19.
48.
Ibid. p. 20.
49.
TAMINI, Luis B. “El naturalismo. Tercera parte”, in: ESPÓSITO, El naturalismo en la prensa porteña, p. 37.
50.
Ibid. p. 41.
51.
QUESADA, Ernesto. “Revista europea. Parte literária”, in: ESPÓSITO, El naturalismo en la prensa porteña, p. 49.
52.
ALFONSO, Luiz. “El naturalismo y el arte. Novela al uso”, in: ESPÓSITO, El naturalismo en la prensa porteña, p. 59.
53.
Ibid. p. 62.
54.
“Inocentes ou culpables? Uma novela naturalista”, in: ESPÓSITO, El naturalismo en la prensa porteña, p. 209.
55.
JURT, Joseph. “Réceptions littéraires transnationales – L’accueil du naturalisme français en Allemagne”, in: CHARPENTIER, Isabelle (ed.). Comment sont reçues les oeuvres.Actualités des recherches en sociologie de la réception et des publics. Créaphis, 2006, p. 206.
56.
A development of this criticism can be seen in ESPAGNE, Michel. “Transferências culturais e História do Livro”. Livro – Revista do Núcleo de Estudos do Livro e da Edição 2 (2012), p. 22.
57.
JURT, “Réceptions littéraires transnationales”, p. 209.
58.
Michel Espagne discusses the notion of influence as problematic, to the extent that “it maintains a perceptible magical dimension in its etymology and places the question of meditation between parentheses, or simply discredits it”. Cf. ESPAGNE, El naturalismo en la prensa porteña, p. 22.
59.
CHARTIER, Roger. Cultura escrita, Literatura e História. Porto Alegre, 2001, p. 117.

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Institute of Language Studies, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
Leandro Thomaz de Almeida

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Universidade de Campinas , Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
Márcia Abreu

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de Almeida, L.T. (2017). Evaluation of Literature at the End of the Nineteenth Century: Change and Permanence in Critical Discourse. In: Abreu, M. (eds) The Transatlantic Circulation of Novels Between Europe and Brazil, 1789-1914. New Directions in Book History. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46837-2_6

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46837-2_6
Published: 05 March 2017
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
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Online ISBN: 978-3-319-46837-2
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