Maya Angelou e suas afroamericanidades: o ritmo autobiográfico de The Heart of a Woman

Abstract

This study aims at investigating the autobiography The Heart of a Woman (1981), by Maya Angelou, written under the discoursive strategies of a testimonial. One considers the discussions of both cultural identity (HALL, 2006), and liquid post-modernity (BAUMAN, 2001) in order to demonstrate the multiple identity of Maya Angelou, who is immersed into subjectivity. One also refers to both self-writing, and life stories statements presented by Foucault (1992), and Bourdieu (1996). Such authors discuss the quests of illusion upon writing autobiographical genres, once that they are not referred to referential point of views. Starting from concepts of autobiographies in the testimonial format, presented by authors, such as: Nara Araújo (1994), George Yúdice (1992), Joanne Braxton (1989), and Lyman Hagen (1997), one perceives that the autobiography herein referred to lies on discoursive strategies of chronicled testimonials, which is under the perspective of black women writing. These testimonials certify a register of memories in the text. Moreover, one observes a narrative aesthetics which dialogues with terms of music, for instance, rhythm, in The Heart of a Woman. On being so, one searches for a methodological approach which meets the aims before mentioned in authors, such as: Steven Paul Scher (1992), and Solange de Oliveira (2002) due to this rhythmic narrative. To do so, one uses elements of both textuality, and stilystics in language.