Percursos literários: o olhar itinerante de João do Rio nas crônicas urbanas

Abstract

The research proposes a study of João do Rio's chronicles produced during the Belle Époque in Rio de Janeiro, aiming to discuss how his walks through the city influenced his literary approach. By traversing the streets, the chronicler captures the city, experienced through his steps and constantly updated through movement, as a dynamic and multifaceted space. The goal is to understand how João do Rio's walks through the city not only rearrange spatial elements but also reinvent, prioritize, and highlight specific aspects of the urban environment. The reading of his chronicles, collected in A Alma Encantadora das Ruas reveals the chronicler's ability to embody the flâneur, adopting an observant stance while incorporating elements akin to ethnographic writing, providing a deeper understanding of socially marginalized layers. There is also a perspective akin to that of a cartographer, emerging as a form that transcends spatial representation, allowing for the analysis of complex phenomena and a multidimensional understanding of urban space. Reading the chronicles further allows for reflection on working conditions and how this help to construct the constantly transforming urban fabric. Additionally, the research intends to examine the tension between "luminous spaces" and "opaque spaces," highlighting how João do Rio reveals the less visible layers of Rio's society and contributes to understanding the mutual relationship between the chronicle and the city at the beginning of the 20th century