Imaginary journeys to the amazon: Quebecois juvenile adventures and the construction of images of Brazil

Authors

  • Katia Aily Franco de Camargo Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte image/svg+xml

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1984-1124.i43p143-164

Keywords:

Amazon, children’s environmental literature, ecocriticism, imagology, fictional travel

Abstract

Adventure novels and works of fictional travel (FAVARO, 2009) set in the Amazon and aimed at young readers occupy a unique place in the construction of literary images of Brazil abroad. The Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ), located in Montréal, houses the largest Francophone collection in the Americas, including the Espace Jeunes, dedicated to children up to 13 years old. Among the approximately 180 works in this space that address Brazil, ecological narratives stand out. This article examines three of them: Une hirondelle en Amazonie (2007) by Lisandra Lannes; Mathis au Brésil (2014) by Michel Prenovost; and Un voyage incroyable en Amazonie (2022) by Berthier Pearson. The research draws on the NatCult matrix (GOGA et al., 2018), which examines cultural representations of nature, imagology theory (VAN DOORSLAER, 2022; LEERSSEN, 2016; PAGEAUX, 2007), and the concept of environmental children’s literature (MASSEY; BRADFORD, 2011), which emphasizes the role of fiction in the ethical and ecological education of young readers. In dialogue with ecocriticism (GLOTFELTY, 1996; HEISE, 1997), it investigates how these narratives construct, through travel, images of the Amazon and Brazil in the Francophone imagination, revealing strategies for ecological awareness and the formation of ecocitizens.

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Author Biography

  • Katia Aily Franco de Camargo, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte

    Professora Titular na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Possui graduação em História pela Universidade de São Paulo (1998); Doutorado em Letras (Língua e Literatura Francesa) pela Universidade de São Paulo (2005). Pós-doutorado pela UFRJ e pela Université de Saint-Quentin de Yvelines (2012), pela Université de Sherbrooke (2019 e 2024) e pela Université de Montréal (2024). Atua nas áreas de Literatura Comparada, com ênfase nos estudos imagológicos e identitários; Estudos da Tradução, com ênfase em relatos de viagem e literatura infantojuvenil.

References

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HEISE, U. Science and Ecocriticism. The American Book Review. n. 18, v. 5, 1997, p. 1-4.

LANNES, L. Une hirondelle en Amazonie. Montréal: Trécarré impression, 2007.

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Published

2026-02-26

Issue

No. 43: Ler e escrever a viagem

Section

Articles

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How to Cite

Camargo, K. A. F. de. (2026). Imaginary journeys to the amazon: Quebecois juvenile adventures and the construction of images of Brazil. Revista Criação & Crítica, 43, 143-164. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1984-1124.i43p143-164