Luso-Brazilian Romanticism

Romanticism was a revolutionary movement in art history. The invention of modern subjectivity, which radically changed the way individuals perceive themselves and the world around them, may be seen as the epicenter of the romantic revolution. The consequences of this change in perception were multiple and complex. Those we will examine in this course comprise the construction (or re-construction) of national identities, love and religion as paths to redemption in a bourgeois materialistic society, the concept of authorship and originality as an artistic value, the Middle Ages revival and neo-Gothicism, nature and pantheism, and abolitionist discourse. We will also consider the development of literary works as commercial products, a shift with considerable social as well as rhetorical implications. We will focus primarily on fictional works by Luso-Brazilian romantic authors such as Camilo Castelo Branco, José de Alencar, and Álvares de Azevedo. (PGSE 0215 or equivalent) 3hrs. lect./disc. )