Speaking for themselves: observations on a “marginal” tradition in Brazilian Literature (original) (raw)

Abstract

The article discusses the so-called Marginal Literature in São Paulo’s outskirts – produced by authors who do not “fit” in the symbolic hierarchies’ canon –, within a broad overview of Brazilian literary tradition that has once tried to represent social inequalities and marginalization. Firstly, it will be briefly situated a debate according to which the “dialectic of malandroism”, as proposed by Antonio Candido, has been shifted in a varied panel of artistic forms and practices towards a “dialectic of marginality”, as suggested by João Cezar de Castro Rocha, based on the exposition of social conflict instead of its disguise. Secondly, an analytical architecture of an aesthetics of marginality will be proposed by identifying to what extent past literary experiences have influenced marginal literature movement. Finally, a framework will be provided to understand some strategies authors have been using to reverse prejudices related to their cultural expressions, which implies an attempt to create an alternate form of narrative based on the place of enunciation and the right to speak by themselves.