Title: Reading Rio de Janeiro
Description: 'Reading Rio de Janeiro' blazes a new trail for understanding the cultural history of 19th-century Brazil. To bring the social fabric of Rio de Janeiro alive, Zephyr Frank flips the historian's usual interest in literature as a source of evidence and, instead, uses the historical context to understand literature. By focusing on the theme of social integration through the novels of Jose de Alencar, Machado de Assis, and Aluisio Azevedo, the author draws the reader's attention to the way characters are caught between conflicting moral imperatives.
Subjects: Social conditions, History and criticism, Brazilian fiction, Literature and society, History, South america, history
Places: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Time periods: 19th century