Casa de Pensão: percepções a respeito do Rio de Janeiro no ultimo terço do século XIX

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the book Casa de Pensão, written by Aluísio Azevedo, published in 1884, in order to demonstrate through the characters, the perceptions about Rio de Janeiro in the 19th century. Considering Rio de Janeiro from that period as a city in constant change, fundamental aspects of its adaptation to capitalist modernity are presented. The book Casa de Pensão is based on a real case addressed by the press – “Questão Capistrano”. This dissertation contrasts the newspapers that presented the “Questão Capistrano” with the book Casa de Pensão and the reception of readers to the case. In this way, it explains the existing dialogue between History, Literature and the reader. The reflection on the mentality and behavior of the characters in the book demonstrates the thoughts that surrounded that period and that were related to each other. Among them, some important ones were highlighted for the understanding of Aluísio Azevedo's proposal, such as the republican ideal, scientism, evolutionism, naturalism and, above all, positivism. Although the city presented numerous socioeconomic problems, such as diseases and misery, in the gaze of a character from the province, Rio de Janeiro was like “Paris by Alexandre Dumas”. In his perceptions, as well as in the ones from other characters, Rio de Janeiro was similar to the European capitals. They help us to understand how they were picturing Rio de Janeiro at that time. These perceptions tended to create attractions for the city, supporting its condition of capital and establishing its capitality. This research gets close to the tourism studies, considering that attractions are legitimized by both its inhabitants and visitors, who are encouraged by anticipations of the city. Thus, a brief conceptualization of the term capitality was made, besides a reflection on comparisons that were made between the city of Rio and the European cities, which were a reference, mainly, due to the advent of modernity. Rio de Janeiro at the end of the 19th century had two facets, a splendid and emblematic one and a sick and poor one. The first perspective is encouraged, while there is an attempt to erase the second, erasing with it the demands of those who were excluded from enjoying the city.