A literatura fantástica nos contos de Edgar Allan Poe e Machado de Assis

Abstract

The aim of this Thesis is to compare texts, which can be read through the lens of the fantastic as a genre, written by Edgar Allan Poe, a leading author of this genre, and Joaquim Machado de Assis, one of the most important writers of Brazilian literature. This research is based upon on the theoretical framework developed from the 18thcentury to the most recent studies on the topic. Among them, we stress the role of Tzvetan Todorov, for his 1970 book is the first to offer a systematic approach of the as well as a structural analysis of the narrative elements that form the fantastic. From Todorov s theory, the main point resides in the relationship between the hesitation of both of the protagonist and the reader facing a fact that may be of a supernatural nature. This hesitation leads towards two possible solutions: supernatural and rational. We also follow Todorov s theory as far as identifying two genres similar to the fantastic are concerned: the wonderful and the unheimliche. A considerable amount of Allan Poe s and Machado de Assis s short stories are detached from the fantastic and rather offer rational solutions to the enigmas presented; thus, they write texts that belong to the unheimliche. In this way, we analyze the definition of the fantastic literature developed by each author through their theoretical questions included in fictional narratives, as well as through the narrative procedures employed by both authors.