Imaginário e representações sociais do sertão nos quadrinhos brasileiros contemporâneos

Abstract

This dissertation deals with the imaginary and representations of the sertão within the artistic production of Brazilian comics. For analysing the theme two works representative of the theme published in Brazil will be used: Estórias Gerais, originally published in 2001, with scripts by Wellington Srbek and art by Flávio Colin, and Bando de dois, with text and art by Danilo Beyruth, published in 2010. The objective of this research will be to analyze how the country men and his daily life were represented in comics. The methodology used was Thompson's depth hermeneutics and as a theoretical reference, Durand and Maffesoli's imaginary studies, Durval Albuquerque's Northeastern social construction, and Stuart Hall's work on the sociological and postmodern subject were used to compose the character construction analysis. Studies of Scott McCloud and Will Eisner have also been used as a way of seeking an understanding of the particular aesthetics of Comics. The two comics use prized elements in the sertão’s narrative, such as the imposition of the environment as determinant of acts, oral traditions as shapers of character and rigid stratifications of classes and social functions. In the first one, we see a reinvention of the sertão with new aesthetic meanings in a timeless graphic novel that seeks to bring into the comic language all the elements that formed the basis for the representation of the country men. The second ome transports the memory of the sertão to a more contemporary approach, employing narrative techniques borrowed from western and American comics. The dissertation contributes to the increasing relevance of comic studies within national identity and memory discussions.