Pedro de Castro do Canto e Melo, escritor naturalista: trajetória biográfico-literária e estudo do romance Mana Silvéria (1913)

Abstract

This dissertation aims to recover the role played by naturalist writer Pedro de Castro do Canto e Melo (1866-1934) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries literary scene. Based on the sparse bibliography available on the author, the research was supplemented by the collection of primary sources: reviews, notes, chronicles, book advertisements, columns and critical comments related to Canto e Melo and his work, located in the FBN's Brazilian Digital Library. The study compiles unpublished data on the author to shed light on his literary and journalistic career, which until recently has been neglected by traditional historiography. This dissertation focuses on Canto e Melo's second novel, Mana Silvéria (1913), his best-known work. Mana Silvéria will be compared to three 19th century Portuguese-Brazilian naturalist novels: O crime do padre Amaro (1875) by Eça de Queirós (1845-1990); A carne (1888) by Júlio Ribeiro (1845-1890) and O aborto (1893) by Figueiredo Pimentel (1869-1914). The analyses highlight Mana Silvéria's treatment of themes and methods typical of naturalism, present in the other works, such as the criticism of slavery, anti-clericalism, biological determinism, the character of the liberated woman and the tragic ending.