Cidades mortas: between preface and memory

Abstract

This article analyses the literary text and the memory through the preface of the book Cidades mortas, by Monteiro Lobato. Thus, the research corpus is centered on the preface ‘Farpas luminosas’, written by Marcia Camargos and Vladimir Sacchetta. Based in the opening text, the objective is to examine the preface of the book Cidades mortas, linking the paratext with the memory perspective. It is possible to recognize the opening text as a possibility of signification of the collective memory in the period of the coffee culture decadence in the country. This historical context was lived by the author and portrayed in the anthology’s tales. The methodology is based on the qualitative approach and on the bibliographical research. The literary text is analyzed from the studies of Genette, Le Goff and Halbwachs. As a result, it is emphasized that the literary text can be considered a tool to bring the reader closer to the knowledge permeated in his own memory.