Charles Dickens e Machado de Assis vis-à-vis: crítica social em Great Expectations e Memórias póstumas pelo olhar de Bourdieu

Abstract

Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870) and Machado de Assis (1839 – 1908) were two contemporaneous writers who accumulated several similarities between each other, such as their writing in different literary genres, the reception which emphasizes their novels, and the similarity of certain themes and symbols. Nevertheless, until the development of the current study, there has been no research that has concerned itself with an explicit comparison of the fiction of both authors. Thereby, an enterprise was launched to inaugurate the comparative studies between Dickens and Machado. Following, the recurring presence of social critique in the texts of the two writers was identified as a relevant common topic. As objects of study, the novels Great Expectations (1860–1861) and Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas (1880–1881) were selected, both of which comment on the relationships of the different social classes in London and in Rio de Janeiro, respectively. As theoretical groundwork, the sociological theory of Pierre Bourdieu was selected, especially based on the book A distinção [Distinction] (2011). The study had as its objective to compare the weaving of social critique in the two novels, investigating their convergences and divergences. The hypothesis was that, despite their differences, both novels would have developed pointed judgements upon the hierarchical system of social classes within 19th -century industrial capitalism. As a result, the presence of relevant points of intersection has been verified between both the novels, with significant parallels between characters, scenes, and symbols displayed within the narratives. Therefore, applying the Bourdieusian theoretical groundwork proved itself efficient at facilitating a productive dialogue between the fields of Literary Studies and the Social Sciences. Lastly, the results of the research pointed to the significance of studies which compare the fiction of Charles Dickens and Machado de Assis, two of the greatest novelists of their national canons, as well as of the literary tradition of, respectively, English and Portuguese languages.