Branca Dias: entre a lenda e a história nas crônicas históricas de Viriato Corrêa.

Abstract

This work is about Branca Dias, a character who is both historical and legendary, whose presence we analyze through the work of the writer Viriato Corrêa, who published in the newspaper Jornal do Brasil a number of chronicles about her, now organized in three volumes at the library of the Brazilian Academy of Letters; his archives constitute the basis of our research, which aims to demonstrate the production of historical chronicles of our writer, born in Maranhão; a rich work, that has fomented and achieved great literary value. As Branca Dias is an ambiguous character, always mixing history and legend, we chose to use the work of the author and critic Evaldo Cabral de Mello, specifically his book O nome e o Sangue (The name and the blood), where Branca Dias is shown in her historical aspects, as a support for our analysis. In a huge effort to clarify such a rich and symbolic character, we also approached Assombrações do Recife, a masterwork by Gilberto Freyre, where he speaks about a legendary Branca Dias. The different aspects and literary genders Branca Dias is found in are an encouragement to our investigation, strengthening this legendary character, that grows to become mythological, as we find it in Dias Gomes dramatist work O Santo Inquérito; and last but not least, we conclude our work by mentioning the poem called “Branca Dias”, written by Carlos Drummond de Andrade, whose applauded poetry and memorial work, in his book Discurso de Primavera e Outras Sombras (Springtime Speech and Other Shadows) shows all the strength and power of Branca Dias: as a real person, a literary character, a legend and a myth.