O desfiar das memórias em contos de Aleilton Fonseca

Abstract

This dissertation aims to analyze the representation of memory in Aleilton Fonseca's short stories "O Sabor das Nuvens", "O Sorriso da Estrela", and "O Pescador", extracted from his book O Desterro dos Mortos. The study engages with Ricardo Piglia's theories on the "two stories" in a short story and Viktor Chklovski's concept of defamiliarization (ostranênie). Aleilton Fonseca is a multifaceted Brazilian author, recognized in national literature. The selected stories explore memory through narrators who revisit their past: childhood experiences in "O Sabor das Nuvens", the loss of a sister in "O Sorriso da Estrela", and a reunion with childhood during a fishing trip in "O Pescador". The research seeks to identify superficial and underlying narratives, elements of surprise and tension, and to understand the use of dreamed/ imagined memories and their sensory manifestations within the characters. The study is justified by the interest in giving visibility to Fonseca's work, which approaches death and loss from a perspective intertwined with memory, nostalgia, and pleasure. The choice of stories is based on their strong synesthetic presence and the exploration of experiences that "could have happened, but did not materialize." The theoretical framework includes reflections from Saint Augustine on memory, Marcel Proust's distinction between voluntary and involuntary memory, Viktor Chklovski's theory of defamiliarization (emphasizing the importance of senses and prolonged perception), and Ricardo Piglia's ideas on short story narrative structure. The dissertation is organized into chapters covering critical reception, theoretical foundations, and story analysis