Literary lists as reading experiences: an analysis of contemporary guides of the brazilian literature

Abstract

The article analyzes recommendations of Brazilian literature in three contemporary reading guides organized by Masina (2013), Masina, Langer, Jacobsen and Rosp (2014) and Masina, Barberena and Carneiro (2015), seeking to understand how authors and books lists are built within an alleged literary experience that runs through criticism and the representation of the reader. From the theoretical perspectives of Robert Belknap (2000) and Umberto Eco (2010), with notions that approximate listings and literature; and by the thoughts of Carlos Nejar (2014), Regina Dalcastagnè (2012) and Arnaldo Cortina (2014), who work with the canon, the most recent literary production and the contemporary Brazilian reader, it is observed how the literature produced in the country becomes legitimate for readers in general, but specifically for students and professionals in the field of Language and Literature, implicitly placed in the introductory texts of books as the target audience of the lists in question. Methodologically, we developed a bibliographic-documental research with quali-quantitative analysis of the corpus, in other words, we organized a comparative chart of suggestions and analyzed excerpts in which the listings are presented. In association with foreign works and authors that are included in publications, we can see, finally, some paths regarding Brazilian literature: that the guides’ lists induce the reader to an initial interaction with this literature; then they try to insert into this contact a more discerning view of what was read; and that this literary production has its presence reduced due to the small number of indications to make room for foreign productions