Writing the self, writing the other: the construction of the fictional subject in regionalist narratives in first person

Abstract

This paper analyses the books Contos gauchescos by João Simões Lopes Neto, Lereias by Valdomiro Silveira and Grande sertão: veredas by João Guimarães Rosa, which are all written in first person. The analysis aims to understand the construction of a fictional subject who imitates orality, in order to simulate the typical speech of Brazilian regions: the South, the inlands of São Paulo and the bush (“sertão”) in Minas Gerais, respectively. Orality is one of our main interests, as these books use adaptations of the written language to simulate oral expression. The paper examines also how these books deal with subjectivity, taking into account that first person writing encourages emotional, intimate situations, directing the text towards a confessional tone. Lastly, we state that writing the self leads to writing the Other, showing that regionalist literature produces, in the heart of narrative, an otherness discourse, considering regionalism a self-conscious language that works to mediate internal differences in national culture.