Florilégio: estudos de retórica e poética

Abstract

This publication is the result of what I and my students produced within the scope of four research projects coordinated by me: Studies of Rhetoric and Poetics in 17th-Century Iberia (2016-2017), Poetry and Painting: Rhetorical Correspondences in the 17th Century (2017-2018), in addition to two projects within the scope of PIBIC (2019-2020), whose themes are included in the two projects mentioned above. The projects were carried out within the scope of the Portuguese Language course at the UESPI Prof. Alexandre Alves de Oliveira Campus, in the municipality of Parnaíba. The articles gathered here under the title ‘Florilégio’ are a sample of the studies we carried out from the perspective of ancient Rhetoric and Poetics, analyzing works of Belles Lettres produced in colonial Brazil and in 17th-Century Iberia, including texts in Portuguese and Spanish, and, at times, going beyond the Iberian scope, by analyzing texts in Italian and French. The genres were also varied: from lyric to satire, we read poetry, prose and theater. We also delved into reading non-verbal texts, such as paintings, approaching the concepts of mimesis and verisimilitude, understanding the Horatian concept of ut pictura poesis. These studies present important concepts for understanding the texts of the aforementioned period, such as, for example: imitation and acuity. Regarding the first, imitation, we understand that, according to Aristotelian poetics, it is the characteristic inherent in man that distinguishes him from other beings, since, having a highly developed aptitude for imitation, he acquires his first knowledge through it. Regarding the second, Gracián tells us that intellectual acuity, ingenuity, were essential to the poet; the subject matter, on which he will meditate; the example, the model to follow; and the art or technique, which perfects the acts of understanding. The union of all these qualities makes the poet an acuity in the poetic art. After briefly explaining two important concepts, it is worth explaining our objectives with this publication, namely: to disseminate research carried out in the field of rhetoric and poetics studies, as well as to make known the literary and pictorial production of the period in question, in addition to encouraging further studies in the area. Methodologically, the studies are bibliographical, analytical and descriptive in nature. Our theoretical foundation is based on Aristotle, Horace, Gracián, as well as on Hansen, Pécora, Muhana, Carvalho and Lachat, contemporary researchers who studied writing in colonial Brazil and seventeenth-century Iberia.