BA Linguistics and Portuguese

Brazil is a large, multi-ethnic country, marked by deep social and geographical contrasts. This course will discuss different aspects of Brazilian culture and society through the analysis of representative works from Brazilian literature. By reading original texts in Portuguese, students will significantly improve their vocabulary and syntax while developing a sophisticated knowledge of Brazilian literature and culture.

This unit is available as free choice with knowledge of the target language.

On successful completion of this course unit, students will be able to:

• Discuss key aspects of 19th and 20th century Brazilian literature.
• Discuss important aspects of Brazilian culture and society and and how they are represented in literature.
• Display literary analytical skills

• Display cultural analytical skills (literary analysis, social and political analysis)

• Significantly improve their ability to read Portuguese
• Significantly improve vocabulary and syntax in Portuguese

• Bethell, Leslie. “The Independence of Brazil”, Cambridge History of Latin America, vol 3,(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984) pp. 157-196    
• Fausto, Boris. A Concise History of Brazil (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1999).  SLC
• Bosi, Alfredo. História Concisa da Literatura Brasileira. São Paulo: Cultrix, 1981
• Caldwell, Helen. The Brazilian Othello of Machado de Assis : a study of 'Dom Casmurro.  Berkeley: University of California Press, 1960.
• Candido, Antonio. Formação da Literatura Brasileira.
•  Castro, Dácio Antonio. Roteiro de Leitura: Vidas Secas de Graciliano Ramos. São Paulo: Ática, 1997.
• Gledson, John. The deceptive realism of Machado de Assis : a dissenting interpretation of "Dom Casmurro. Liverpool: F. Cairns, 1984.
• Klobucka, Anna. “In Different Voices: Gender and Dialogue in Clarice Lispector’s Metafiction”. Women, Literature and Culture in the Portuguese-Speaking World. Ed. Cláudia Pazos Alonso. Lempeter, Wales: Edwin Mellen Press, 1996.
• Levine, Robert. The History of Brazil. Palgrave.
• Mathie, Barbara. “Feminism, Language, or Existentialism. The search for the self in the works of Clarice Lispector”. Subjectivity and Literature from the Romantics to the Present Day. Eds. Phillip Shaw and Peter Stockwell. London: Continuum, 1991.
• Nunes, Benedito. Leitura de Clarice Lispector. São Paulo: Quíron, 1973.
• Ramos, Maria Luisa. “Análise Estrutural de Primeiras Histórias”. Guimarães Rosa. Fortuna Crítica. Ed. Afrânio Coutinho. Rio: Civilização Brasileira, 1983,
• Schwarz, Roberto. Duas Meninas. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 1997.