LITERARY GOTHIC TRADITION IN HUMBERTO DE CAMPOS

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the presence of characteristic elements of the gothic tradition in the short stories "A Noiva" (The Bride), "Morfina" (Morphine), and "Retirantes” (The Evacuees) from the anthology O monstro e outros contos (The Monster and Other Stories, 1932) by the controversial Maranhão-born writer Humberto de Campos. These works present a textual structure based on elements typical of gothic literary poetics, such as the depiction of space as a locus horribilis, the presence of characters with monstrous aspects, the emergence of ghostly entities as representations of the past that haunt the present, and, above all, the creation of fear as an aesthetic pleasure. For this purpose, as a theoretical foundation, authors such as Júlio França (2014; 2015; 2017; 2018), Alexander Meireles (2010), Maurício Menon (2007) Marina Sena (2018) and others who focus on the study of Gothic in Brazil will be addressed. Furthermore, this research aims to demonstrate how these elements, adapted to a different culture and era, appear in Brazilian writing. Thus, this text also seeks to deconstruct a peripheral image of gothic narratives, attempting to recover authors who showed an interest in the theme and to demonstrate their contribution to current studies of gothic literature.