A literatura comparada no Brasil

Abstract

Comparatism followed the steps of Brazilian literature investigation even before the establishment of Comparative Literature as a sistematic study, for it was a spontaneous practice which was present in the critical essays by different scholars. Comparative Literature has been introduced in Brazilian University from the 30's onwards. The name of Antonio Candido de Mello e Souza has contributed to its development and consolidation, mainly through his renewed ideas of the concept of influence. His critical discourse was the starting point for the search of a decolonized comparativist model. The establishment of graduate courses in Comparative Literature on a regular basis has given a great impetus to the field in Brazil, producing in-depth studies which have shown the interliterary relations through a new point of view, breaking with the tradicional concepts of debts and influences. The ripening of Comparative Literature in Brazil can be measured by the creation of the National Association (ABRALIC) in 1986, and by the realization of four National Conferences.