New paths in regionalism in A cabeça do santo, by Socorro Acioli

Abstract

The regional novel is a trend that has become popular throughout Brazilian literary history, be it for its aesthetic or exotic quality. This kind of novel, however, continues to be produced and obtaining public success and critical attention. With our study we intend to analyze how this genre is presented in contemporary times, which are its links with traditional production and what are the current elements that are added in the literary construction. In this sense, we seek the definitions of some of the main historians of our literature, as well as literary critics who deal with the subject, in order to establish a secure basis for our evaluations. As an analytical corpus, we chose the text A Cabeça do santo, written by Ceará writer Socorro Acioli, both for its thematic framework and for its constructive virtues. The research allowed us to verify that the novel under analysis has links with predecessor productions, however it inserts innovative and enriching elements, both in the regional scenario, which now becomes urban, and in terms of language, which prioritizes the narration of events instead of typifying marks. It is, in conclusion, a novel in which enjoyment and reflective content are balanced in a structure that mixes the traditional with the contemporary, without value judgment in this relationship. Keywords: Novel; Regionalism; Socorro Acioli.