A vida em verso: histórias e poemas de Espedito de Mocinha

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to study the artistic production to Espedito de Mocinha. The course of Mr Espedito de Mocinha’s narratives was mapped from his life experiences and his poetry. This poet from the Cariri region in the state of Paraíba (Brazil) has a vast and eclectic poetry and prose production, besides being an expert storyteller. Supported by the oral story/ life story methodology, I present a narrator that communicates, from the poetics of the voice (and writing), his literature. Methodologically, this thesis reflects, from the author’s narrative courses, the constitutive procedures of his poetries, presenting how the transposition from orality to writing occurs. In order to do so, I carry out a survey of the author's oral and written poems and analyze his worldviews, themes and style, trying to understand how the experience of orality manifested in his poetry contributes to the constitution of an author-subject. Theoretically, I utilize the contributions of authors such as Zumthor (2014, 2005, 1997), Fernandes (2007), for performance and poetics of the voice; Ong (1998) for relations between orality and writing and Hansen (1992) and Foucault (1969; 2004) for reflections on authorship, among others. The analytical course pointed out that the poetry of Mr Espedito has its roots in oral experience and even if written, the nature of his poems remains oral. This fact does not differentiate him from a poet who does the opposite course: both are poets. Thus, I did not identify significant losses between the oral and written records, except, of course, for the performative factor, which is unique and unrepeatable.