EÇA, MACHADO, AND WORLD LITERATURE

Abstract

This essay discusses Machado and Eça in the context of “World Literature,” the advent of which is of great importance for the promotion of Luso-Brazilian writers on the global stage. It emphasizes that Luso-Brazilianists have many outstanding writers to offer this new approach to Goethe’s old idea of Weltliteratur. This study argues that, by working with Portuguese language texts, scholars of Portuguese and Brazilian literature must work harder and more strategically than most to gain for these writers the exposure and international respect that they deserve. This essay highlights prominent Portuguese and Brazilian literary figures and their role on the global stage. Issues of translation will now become more critical than ever, as will how skillfully we wield the comparative method in our critical commentaries and the venues in which we aim to publish our work.

Keywords

• Eça de Queirós
• Machado de Assis
• World literature
• Goethe
• Comparative literary studies