Study analyzes ambiguities in the works of Aluísio Azevedo

Using the book O Mulato (The Mulatto) as a starting point, sociologist evaluates the trajectory of the Maranhão-born writer.

By Karina Toledo

Agência FAPESP – The Mulatto, by Aluísio Azevedo, is a title that refers to the collective human state. It does not mention a character or a specific situation, but rather a human category that is very important for understanding the process of Brazil’s formation.

This analysis is presented by sociologist Rodrigo Estramanho de Almeida in the book A realidade da ficção. Ambiguidades literárias e sociais em ‘O Mulato’ de Aluísio Azevedo (The reality of fiction. Literary and social ambiguities in “The Mulatto” by Aluísio Azevedo), released by Alameda Casa Editorial on March 15. 

The starting point for this analysis is the second book published by Aluísio Azevedo, The Mulatto. The researcher analyzes the contradictions found in this book, as these contradictions marked the entire literary trajectory of the Maranhão author. Critics normally divide Azevedo’s work into two categories: engaged (or activist) romance, filled with social criticism, and feuilletonesque novels. 

“This ambiguity remains throughout the career of Aluísio. The writer himself made it clear in correspondence and newspaper texts that he was conscious of it and struggled with it. But I try to show that there is continuity in his works,” commented Estramanho de Almeida in an interview with Agência FAPESP. 

According to the researcher, social criticism is even found in books considered romance novels. In contrast, the setting in The Mulatto, considered the gateway to naturalism in Brazil, is a story with characteristics of romanticism.

“Although the book has elements considered typical of naturalism, the construction of the narrative is, from a formal point of view, close to romanticism. He is an author that is hard to classify,” he affirmed. 

The ambiguity in his fiction was mirrored in Aluísio Azevedo’s real life, recalls Estramanho de Almeida. “He worked hard throughout his life to live off of literature. He was a combative author who defended republican ideals and flirted with abolitionism. He also harshly criticized the clergy and its relationship with the imperial government. But, in the end, he abandoned literature to dedicate himself to public service and work for the State that he so often criticized,” the author commented. 

In addition to highlighting the vicissitudes that the author faced in living off of literature, Rodrigo also seeks to define the space Aluísio Azevedo occupies in Brazilian social thought.

“Aluísio is immersed in a profound moment in the transformation of Brazilian society. The appearance of the republican ideology and the positivist doctrine has an impact on behavior, art and social and political thought. In addition to technical and economic transformations such as coffee becoming the country’s main product, they modified the manner in which people thought about the future, the present and the past. There is a very interesting sociological context in the works of Aluísio Azevedo, but some of these questions could go unnoticed if the analysis focuses narrowly on the formal aspect of naturalism,” affirmed Estramanho de Almeida. 

The book, which was published with funding from FAPESP’s, is the result of Rodrigo Estramanho de Almeida’s master’s thesis at Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP), conducted under the direction of Professor Miguel Wady Chaia.

However, the researcher has been dedicated to the study of the works of Aluísio Azevedo for more than five years, having written an analysis of O Cortiço (The Tenement) in 2007. 

“The Tenement is a work produced during Aluisio’s mature phase. But The Mulatto is his second book. This time, I focused the analysis on the beginning of his career to understand which elements have been present in his semantic field and his manner of writing about reality,” he stated.

Rodrigo Estramanho de Almeida is a professor at the Fundação Escola de Sociologia e Política de São Paulo (FESPSP) and a researcher at PUC_SP’s Art, Media and Politics Studies Center (Neamp).