Macunaíma (novel)
Encyclopedia
Macunaíma is a 1928 novel
by Brazilian
writer Mário de Andrade
. It is one of the founding texts of Brazilian modernism
.
The novel follows a young man, Macunaíma, "a hero without a character
," born in the Brazilian jungle and possessing strange and remarkable abilities (Mostly Shapeshifting
), as he travels to São Paulo and back again. The novel employs a composite structure using elements of what would later be called magic realism
and a number of dialects of both interior Brazil and São Paulo. It is based on Andrade's research in language, culture, folklore, and music of the indigenous peoples in Brazil
.
Macunaíma was an attempt on the part of Andrade to write a novel which represented pan-Brazilian culture and language. At the time it was customary in Brazil to speak a language which was a combination of Portuguese and native Brazilian words, but the written word was done entirely in formal Portuguese. Andrade desired to write Macunaíma in the spoken language of Brazil. Macunaíma's catch phrase "Ai, que preguiça!" is a pun in both Tupi language and Portuguese as "Ai" is a Tupi word for sloth and "preguiça" is Portuguese for sloth. This is an example of Andrade using a fused language to write this text.
Considered a "rhapsody" by Andrade, Macunaíma is a melding of the cultures of Brazil. Most of the folk lore contained within the text is taken directly from native stories, either written or passed down orally.
In the tale, Macunaíma travels from his home tribe in the jungle to São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro and back again to his home in the jungle with chase scenes that go all over the country of Brazil in between. His purpose in traveling to São Paulo is to retrieve an amulet which he lost. The amulet had been given to him by his lover, Ci before she ascended into the sky to become a star. He encounters all sorts of folk legends and orixas along the way. The interactions which Macunaíma had with most of these characters was imagined by Andrade, though the essence of the folk lore remains true. After a long adventure and life Macunaíma climbs to the heavens where he becomes the Great Bear constellation.
In 1969, the Brazilian production company
Filmes do Serro made a film based on the novel
, but with a substantially different storyline. The story takes place in Rio de Janeiro
rather than São Paulo, and is set at more or less the time the film was made.
1928 in literature
The year 1928 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Ford Madox Ford publishes Last Post. It is the final book of a four-volume work titled Parade's End published between 1924 and 1928....
by Brazilian
Literature of Brazil
Brazilian literature is written in the Portuguese language by Brazilians or in Brazil, even if prior to Brazil's independence from Portugal, in 1822...
writer Mário de Andrade
Mário de Andrade
Mário Raul de Morais Andrade was a Brazilian poet, novelist, musicologist, art historian and critic, and photographer. One of the founders of Brazilian modernism, he virtually created modern Brazilian poetry with the publication of his Paulicéia Desvairada in 1922...
. It is one of the founding texts of Brazilian modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
.
The novel follows a young man, Macunaíma, "a hero without a character
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
," born in the Brazilian jungle and possessing strange and remarkable abilities (Mostly Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
), as he travels to São Paulo and back again. The novel employs a composite structure using elements of what would later be called magic realism
Magic realism
Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of...
and a number of dialects of both interior Brazil and São Paulo. It is based on Andrade's research in language, culture, folklore, and music of the indigenous peoples in Brazil
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
.
Macunaíma was an attempt on the part of Andrade to write a novel which represented pan-Brazilian culture and language. At the time it was customary in Brazil to speak a language which was a combination of Portuguese and native Brazilian words, but the written word was done entirely in formal Portuguese. Andrade desired to write Macunaíma in the spoken language of Brazil. Macunaíma's catch phrase "Ai, que preguiça!" is a pun in both Tupi language and Portuguese as "Ai" is a Tupi word for sloth and "preguiça" is Portuguese for sloth. This is an example of Andrade using a fused language to write this text.
Considered a "rhapsody" by Andrade, Macunaíma is a melding of the cultures of Brazil. Most of the folk lore contained within the text is taken directly from native stories, either written or passed down orally.
In the tale, Macunaíma travels from his home tribe in the jungle to São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro and back again to his home in the jungle with chase scenes that go all over the country of Brazil in between. His purpose in traveling to São Paulo is to retrieve an amulet which he lost. The amulet had been given to him by his lover, Ci before she ascended into the sky to become a star. He encounters all sorts of folk legends and orixas along the way. The interactions which Macunaíma had with most of these characters was imagined by Andrade, though the essence of the folk lore remains true. After a long adventure and life Macunaíma climbs to the heavens where he becomes the Great Bear constellation.
In 1969, the Brazilian production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
Filmes do Serro made a film based on the novel
Macunaíma (film)
Macunaíma is a 1969 Brazilian comedy film produced by Filmes do Serro and directed by Joaquim Pedro de Andrade. It was released in a dubbed version for American audiences in 1972 by New Line Cinema. On June 13 and July 12, 2005, European and Latin American syndicates of the TV5 network aired the...
, but with a substantially different storyline. The story takes place in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
rather than São Paulo, and is set at more or less the time the film was made.