REWRITING THE NARRATIVE: RACISM IN CHILDREN LITERATURE IN MONTEIRO LOBATO'S TIMES

Abstract

The debates about the stereotyped and racist representation in Monteiro Lobato’s children literature bring up a central issue for literary studies: how to read works produced in different historical, social and cultural contexts and which moral and ethical standards can radically conflict with our own? This paper proposes to investigate the literary context surrounding Lobato’s books for children through the analysis of works of children’s literature that circulated in Brazil between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The study opens a window into the repertoire with which Lobato’s works dialogued and, by comparing various representations of black characters, it offers a new perspective to understand Lobato’s children’s literature.

Keywords

• literatura infantil, monteiro lobato, racismo, personagens negros, representação literária