Narration and points of view in Raised from the ground, by José Saramago

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5433/el.2022v29.e45907

Keywords:

Raised from the Ground, Narrator, Focalization.

Abstract

The complexity of Raised from the Ground (1980), a novel by José Saramago, is already well known by the critic. The same can be applied to its narrator: a singular subject, axiologically involved. Regarding the sinuosity of this narrating “I” and its transmission of ideological, ethical, social, and moral values throughout the novel, this paper analyzes the possibility of this narrator being not only a subject that “speaks” (narrates, summarizes, and comments). Thus, the narrator can be an authentic focalizer of determined objects, regardless of being at the narrative level. When considering the narrator as a focalizer, the work enters directly into the discussions about the point of view issues of Literary Theory and Narratology, leading toward renowned theorists’ formulations. In order to support this hypothesis, Manfred Jahn (1999), Alain Rabatel (2016), and Mieke Bal (2021) are used as a theoretical base.

Author Biographies

Karen Adorno, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

PhD student in Literary Studies at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM)

Raquel Trentin Oliveira, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

Doctorate in Literary Studies, by the Graduate Program in Letters at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Professor at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM).

References

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BERTRAND, Denis. Caminhos da semiótica literária. Tradução de Grupo CASA. Bauru: Edusc, 2003.

CERDEIRA, Teresa Cristina. José Saramago entre a história e a ficção: uma saga de portugueses. Belo Horizonte: Editora Moinhos, 2018.

CHATMAN, Seymour B. Coming to terms: the rethoric of narrative in fiction and film. Ithaca: New York: Cornell University Press, 1990.

CHARAUDEAU, Patrick; MAINGUENEAU, Dominique. Dicionário de análise do discurso. Tradução de Fabiana Komesu. 3. ed. São Paulo: Editora Contexto, 2020.

FONSECA, Teresa. Montemor-o-Novo - lugar de memória repressão e resistência: dos finais da idade média à Revolução de 25 de abril de 1974. O Pelourinho: Boletin de Relaciones transfronterizas, n. 23, v. 2, 2019, p. 63-93.

GENETTE, Gérard. Discurso da narrativa. Tradução de Fernando Cabral Martins. Lisboa: Vega, 1995.

GENETTE, Gérard. Nouveau discours du récit. Paris: Seuil, 1983.

PRADO, Maria Goreti Silva. Ponto de vista em semiótica. Fundamentos teóricos e ensaio de aplicação em A hora da estrela. São Paulo: Cultura Acadêmica, 2013.

PRINCE, Gerald. A point of view on point of view or refocusing focalization. In: PEER, Willie Van; CHATMAN, Seymor. New perspectives on narrative perspective. New York: State University of New York Press, 2001. p. 43-50.

PHELAN, James. Why narrators can be focalizers. In: PEER, Willie Van e CHATMAN, Seymor. New perspectives on narrative perspective. New York: State University of New York Press, 2001. p. 51-66.

JAHN, Manfred. More Aspects of Focalization: Refinements and Applications. In: PIER, John (ed.). GRAAT: Revue des Groupes de Recherches Anglo-Américaines de L'Université François Rabelais de Tours, 1999, n. 21. p. 85-110.

RABATEL, Alain. Homo Narrans. Pontos de vista e lógica da narração. Tradução de Maria das Graças Soares Rodrigues et. al. São Paulo: Cortez, 2016.

SARAMAGO, José. Levantado do chão. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2020.

SEIXO, Maria Alzira. O essencial sobre José Saramago. Lisboa: IN-CM, 1987.

Published

2022-07-17

How to Cite

Adorno, K., & Oliveira, R. T. (2022). Narration and points of view in Raised from the ground, by José Saramago. Estação Literária, 29, 23–44. https://doi.org/10.5433/el.2022v29.e45907

Issue

Section

Artigos do Dossiê Temático