The neofantastic in the narrative of Sinara Foss: analysis of the short story “Fotossíntese”

Abstract

The present article aims to analyze the short story “Fotossíntese” by the author Sinara Foss, included in the book Fotossíntese e outros processos de sobrevivência (2023), to understand the transformations of the fantastic genre in contemporary literature. To achieve this, we will examine one of the classic theories of the fantastic, that of Tzvetan Todorov, particularly his work Introdução à literatura fantástica (2017), first published in the 1960s and 1970s, in which he emphasizes hesitation as a necessary condition to create the fantastic effect in a narrative. Following this, we will discuss Jaime Alazraki’s theory on the neofantastic, part of the “contemporary fantastic”, as developed in “¿Qué es lo neofantástico?” (1990). Alazraki’s theory challenges Todorov’s by arguing that fantastic writings do not induce hesitation, but are instead characterized by their vision, intent, and modus operandi. In addition to comparing these two theories to highlight the transformations of the fantastic in contemporary times, we will also examine ecofeminism, drawing on the insights of Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva (1993), as well as Émilien Vilas Boas Reis and Vanessa Lemgruber (2020). The methodology of this article is based on the study of fantastic literature theory and a comprehensive literature review.