O poema Vila Rica e a historiografia colonial / The epic poem Vila Ricaand the colonial historiography

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2008

RESUMO

This work offers a new approach to the epic poem Vila Rica, by Minas Geraisborn poet Cláudio Manoel da Costa (1729-1789). Written in 1773, it was not published during the life of the author who, disenchanted with the poor repercussion of his works in the Portuguese metropolis, did not consider it worth of publication, which would only occur posthumously in 1839. Nevertheless, Vila Rica is a very important document for the history of the country, since it offers a rather accurate representation of the foundation of the Minas capital, a city that in this context means the country itself. His epic poem is, above all, one of the few documents written in colonial times that focus on the analysis of the social, political and economical formation of the captaincy of Minas. Furthermore, the editions of Vila Rica are relatively rare and little instigate historiographic studies that aim at perceiving the work as a historical document. It is imperative then, to the historiography of the colonial texts, to define new reading approaches to this epic text, contributing to enrich the colonial historiography. For that we must analyze the essential parts that make up Vila Rica, from Carta Dedicatória (Dedicatory Letter) and the poem itself, through the historic study that substantiates it, very revealing of Cláudios literary talent as a historian, Fundamento Histórico (Historic Foundation). A result from the poets application to search through documents and gather accounts on Minas, Fundamento Histórico clearly evinces the concern to provide authority to the story it narrates through critical analysis and a discerning choice of sources. That way, the history account in Fundamento and the one utilized in the poem have distinct characteristics, which aim at specific objectives, which we will analyze. To study the way he utilizes History in these two discursive levels is an indispensable task to approach any consideration as to the poems historiographical value. And this will be the main motive of the work. We will show the criteria used by the critics on the poet and his work, which always tended to the depreciation of the poem, to later demonstrate a new possible analysis, one committed to sketch the poems historiographic value from its own constitution as a historical discourse. We will therefore cover two lines of analysis. First we will try to understand the poem as a product of its own time, defining its main levels of existence, from its creation through its circulation and reading. From that we will proceed to the next one, committed to understanding the plans applied to the epic that could define it as a historical text, thus revaluating the work. We will also discuss the conscience, always present in Cláudio Manuel da Costas work, that he belonged to a new land, which led to the affirmation of his nationalist feelings and the motivation for the Inconfidência (Disloyalty) made by the romantic critics. Finally, we will see the bases that direct this presumed patriotism, from an analysis of the poetic principles utilized by the author, aiming at perceiving how much this patriotism should be understood as a psychological and individual expression of a passion for his country or as a mere application of an argument for composition.

ASSUNTO(S)

epic poetry poesia épica vila rica (poem) vila rica (poema) cláudio manuel da costa minas gerais cláudio manuel da costa historiography minas gerais historiografia

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