When Afro-Brazilian literature and horror meet: an analysis of the short story 'A floresta', by Carol Dermond
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1984-1124.i39p186-210Keywords:
Afro-Brazilian Literature, Contemporary unusual, Short story narrative, Social horror, RacismAbstract
Literary work is a powerful instrument of expression and reflection that has played a significant role in representing the figure of black people in Brazilian literature. Over the centuries, writers have explored the complexities of the Afro-descendant experience, expanding perspectives and giving voice to narratives that enrich and give new meaning to black identity in the national literary context. In this sense, the present work aims to analyze the short story “The Forest”, by Carol DerMond, from the theoretical perspective of Afro-Brazilian literature and the contemporary unusual. The narrative in question was published in 2020 in the book Afrohorror - ancestral fears, a collection of short stories written by black authors who used horror as a backdrop for deeper debates about racism, identity and belonging. For this study, support will be sought from theories that deal with Afro-Brazilian literature (DUARTE, 2010; EVARISTO, 2009; MÉRIAN, 2008), in addition to theorists who focus on the unusual fiction and horror in literature (ALAZRAKI, 2001; CARROLL, 1999; NESTAREZ, 2022; ROAS, 2014; TODOROV, 2001). In short, the tale is permeated by horror and violence that is manifested by a real monster, racism, crossing the boundaries between fiction and reality.
Downloads
References
ALAZRAKI, Jaime. ¿Qué es lo Neofantástico? In: ROAS, David (Org.) Teorías de lo fantástico. Madrid: Arco/Libros, 2001. p. 265-282.
CARROLL, Noël. A filosofia do horror ou Paradoxo do coração. Campinas: Papirus, 1999.
DERMOND, Carol. A floresta. In: SILVA, Alec (org.). Afrohorror: medos ancestrais. São Paulo: Cartola Editora, 2020. p. 51-60.
DUARTE, Eduardo de Assis. Por um conceito de literatura afro-brasileira. Terceira Margem, Rio de Janeiro, v. 1, n. 23, p. 113-138, jul. 2010.
EVARISTO, Conceição. Literatura negra: uma poética de nossa afro-brasilidade. Scripta, Belo Horizonte, v. 13, n. 25, p. 17-31, jul. 2009.
GARCÍA, Flavio. “Insólito ficcional”. In: REIS, Carlos; ROAS, David; FURTADO, Filipe; GARCÍA, Flavio; FRANÇA, Júlio (Editores). Dicionário Digital do Insólito Ficcional (e-DDIF). Rio de Janeiro: Dialogarts. Disponível em: https://www.insolitoficcional.uerj.br/i/insolito-ficcional/. Acesso em: em 25 nov. 2022.
HOUAISS, Antônio & VILLAR, Mauro de Sales. Dicionário Houaiss da Língua Portuguesa. Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, 2004.
KANASIRO, Heidy Mayumi Rafael. Olhares brancos, terror negro: branquitude e horror em Corra!, de Jordan Peele. 2021. 119 f. Dissertação (Mestrado) - Curso de Letras, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, 2021.
MÉRIAN, Jean-Yves. O negro na literatura brasileira versus uma literatura afro-brasileira: mito e literatura. Navegações, Porto Alegre, v. 1, n. 1, p. 50-60, mar. 2008.
NESTAREZ, Oscar. Uma história da literatura de horror no Brasil: fundamentos e autorias. 2022. 199 f. Tese (Doutorado) - Curso de Letras, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2022.
ROAS, David. A ameaça do fantástico: aproximações teóricas. Trad. Julián Fuks. São Paulo: Unesp, 2014.
TERÊNCIO, Marlos Gonçalves. O horror e o outro: um estudo psicanalítico sobre a angústia sob o prisma do unheimlich freudiano. 2013. 276 f. Tese (Doutorado) - Curso de Letras, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, 2013.
TODOROV, Tzvetan. Introdução à literatura fantástica. Trad. Maria Clara Correa Castelo. 3. ed. São Paulo: Perspectiva, 2004.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
