Antropófagos devorados e seus desencontros: da “formação” à “inserção” da literatura brasileira

Abstract

The article intends to understand Brazilian literature within the comparative paradigm of “insertion”. In order to accomplish this task, I will counterpose “insertion” to the hegemonic paradigm of “formation”. I argue that those two paradigms are based on very different assumptions regarding the presence of Brazilian culture in the world. The idea of formation relies on an emulative relationship with Europe, seen as a model to be followed. Other power dynamics emerges with the insertion of Brazilian literature in African countries, as it engendered representations among the African intellectual that equated Brazil to their respective home countries. The article attempts to draw the consequences of the differences between the two paradigms.