Paridos pela terra: tropos ecocríticos que reluzem em Torto Arado

Abstract

This master's dissertation investigates Itamar Vieira Junior's novel Torto Arado (Brazilian Portuguese version, published by Todavia, 2019) from an ecocritical perspective. The work stands as a landmark in contemporary literature, provoking new ways to understand the relationship between society and the environment. The central aim of this study is to demonstrate how the narrative space, mediated by the interaction between characters and the environment, reveals symbolic dynamics that transcend the physical landscape, fostering reflections on identity, resistance, and belonging. The methodology employed is qualitative and critical-interpretative, grounded in the dialectical approach of Nascimento and Sousa (2015). The analysis is guided by Félix Guattari’s theory of the three ecologies (1990), which expands the concept of ecology to encompass not only the physical environment but also social and mental ecology. To underpin the study, concepts by Glotfelty and Fromm (1996) and Garrard (2023) are drawn upon, adopting Garrard's (2023) tropes as analytical categories. In addition, concepts from Boff’s Gaia theory (2011, 2016, 2020), ecofeminism (Plumwood, 1993; Shiva, 1988), and ecosocialism (Löwy, 2013; Vieira, 2017; Villegas, 2021) are explored. The novel is structured into three parts: “Fio de corte”, “Torto arado”, and “Rio de sangue”, each exploring different facets of environmental, social, and mental ecologies. “Fio de corte”, narrated by Bibiana, focuses on the environmental dimension, highlighting the protagonist's deep connection with the physical environment. The second part, “Torto arado”, is narrated by Belonísia, who, having lost her speech in childhood, offers a perspective primarily centered on the social aspect. The third part, “Rio de sangue”, is narrated by Santa Rita Pescadeira, a spiritual entity who presents a holistic view of the characters, addressing issues of religiosity and the ethical implications of their actions, thereby representing mental ecology, or the ecology of human subjectivity. These three dimensions of Guattari’s theory permeate the entire narrative, manifested through the perspectives of the three narrator-characters. In Torto Arado, nature is not merely a backdrop but an active element that constantly interacts with the internal experiences of the characters. The application of the theory of the three ecologies in ecocriticism, though not typically conventional, aligns with the principles proposed in this analysis. This theoretical application to the narrative revealed a fertile substrate connecting environmental preservation, social dynamics, and the subjective experiences of people, particularly rural women. The novel stands out as a singular example of ecoliterature, offering new interpretative possibilities while also embodying an educational character common to peasant education.