La string literature: verses, poems, stories and events written in loose sheets and recited by street vendors, in squares, markets and fairs of the time, keep reading! This literary genre will fascinate you.
Literature of twine
La literature of twine It is a literary genre originating from the Brazilian northeast. It is part of what is called popular literature, and although it dates back to the end of the 1930th century, its consolidation took place a century later, between 1960 and XNUMX.
Basically, these are poems written by semi-literate artists to be recited in public squares and published as pamphlets. In general, these brochures include four sheets that are tied by ropes through which they can be hung. Hence the ingenious name given to this literary current.
Similarly, it should be mentioned that the literature of twine It touches on aspects related, mainly, to the reality of the marginalized classes, without neglecting other topics, such as: love, natural disasters, local adventures, regional or state events and, in recent years, even international ones. In addition, today, it deals with larger issues such as, for example, the economic, political and social crises that are generated in different countries.
From
the birth of the literature of twine It can be interpreted as a poetic response to a series of events that took place in Brazil as a consequence of the fall of the Empire and the creation of the New Republic. Historical events that occurred in that country in the year 1889.
In this regard, it is important to clarify that these events marked the beginning of the modernization of the country, which generated suspicion and a strong sense of threat in the rural population, who tried to hold on to their beliefs and traditions at all costs.
Thus, the literature of twine it is the maximum expression of the resistance to change that occurred as a result of modernization. However, over the years it went from being sung poetry to being transformed and consolidated as a literary genre.
Regarding this last aspect, we should note that it was only in the XNUMXth century that literature of twine ceased to be marginalized. Because before that date she was considered opposed to cultured literature. Currently, it enjoys protection by the Brazilian government and the interest of organizations specialized in the recovery and reissue of ancient texts.
Features
Like any literary movement, the literature of twine It is the product of years of evolution where new elements are incorporated, which constitute its main characteristics. Some of them are mentioned below:
La literature of string it is a form of popular memory that functions as a source of local information, whether it is for a particular municipality or state, or for the entire country. It constitutes a way of seeing and analyzing particular social, religious and political aspects. In addition, it is useful to denounce situations or attitudes related to them.
It works as a means of communication to transmit information of historical, ethnographic and social interest. Thanks to the imminent globalization of information, the way in which string literature brochures are disseminated has changed in recent decades, to the point of being disseminated through the Internet.
On the other hand, the consumer market of the literature of twine it expanded. It is no longer exclusive to the popular classes, but is open to anyone who is interested in knowing the culture of the country of origin, Brazil.
Outreach
From its inception, the literature of twine it was regarded as popular and accessible. This, most likely, is due to the way in which it was distributed and disseminated.
In this way, talking about its diffusion is impossible without acknowledging the existence of a very peculiar character: the traveling salesman of the time, also known as Blind, without this meaning that he himself lacks vision.
Thus, these street vendors were the ones who brought the sheets of string to the general public. In the same way that they hung them on a string, to attract the attention of the public, they were also the ones who sang or recited the statements, prose, verses, couplets, and even announced the latest events, stories, romances and miracles that had occurred. In the same way, just as they could visit towns and neighborhoods, they could establish kiosks in the most frequented squares, fairs and markets.
Finally, as we have already mentioned, the changes and the evolution produced in the field of information due to the modernization of society, ended up eradicating this primitive form of dissemination of information. string Literature, until achieving that it is disseminated through various current technological means.
Composition of the sheets
Without a doubt, the composition of the string sheets was designed to effectively capture the attention of the public. In this way, the statements that the street vendors sang or recited consisted of four parts: Establishment of the condition of what was involved and its way of presenting itself, description of the main characteristics of the event, identification of the protagonist of the event, as well as of your locality and, finally, the advance of the end of the story.
publishing genre
In general terms, the literature of twine these are long-term forms, called loose sheets. Its highlights are mentioned below:
The folio format is not used, predominating almost exclusively the 4th format. In addition, it is folded twice.
On the other hand, the text is distributed in two columns. Includes statement and woodcut engravings. Additionally, round typography is used, combined with cursive effects to highlight some titles or specific parts of the spread.
Finally, use low-quality paper and reuse typographic material. This in order to lower costs and reduce production time.
shapes and themes
La literature of twine encompasses various genres within popular poetry. However, in order to favor the retention of the content by the poorly literate public and, in some cases, illiterate, it is common to find memory resources such as antithesis, repetition and enumeration.
In the same way the literature of twine he usually uses colloquial language, as well as proverbs, sayings and popular phrases of great expressiveness, loaded above all with humor and passion.
In this regard, you may be interested in reading the article on colloquial language.
On the other hand, the adequacy of cultured lyrics to popular literature can be observed, giving rise to romances of different themes, such as: ancient, chivalrous, historical, romantic, bandit, religious, crime, among others. Likewise, we usually find typical meters of musical compositions, among them: happy and sentimental love songs, religious, political, social, patriotic, etc.
On this particular, it is worth clarifying that the romance is a succession of octasyllabic verses with assonance rhyme in pairs. While the musical compositions refer to couplets, tenths and glosses accompanied by music and popular dances.
Tremendism and wrongdoing
Tremendism and wrongdoing are part of the common poetics of the string literature. They derive mainly from the characteristics of said literary genre, basically referring to the themes and forms mentioned in the previous session.
In this way, it is that the tremendism consists of the exaggeration of reality in an implausible way. This, mainly, with the purpose of capturing a greater number of readers through astonishment and surprise on a high level.
For its part, wrongdoing refers to the theme of some specific compositions that deal with bandits, fugitives, murderers and thieves, who at the end of the story are redeemed for a good cause, which justifies their actions and behavior. Finally, these particular characters end up being seen in a good way by the readers and are definitely accepted.
In short, in the plot of the compositions of the literature of twine Episodes of physical violence unleashed in bloody settings are common. However, after the sad and long suffering of the protagonist, and after a quick denouement, the story comes to a happy ending.
Exponents
Through the centuries there have been many exponents of string literature. So much so that it is estimated that there are currently about 4000 authors in Brazil. Mentioning them all is impossible, but among them the following stand out:
Leandro Gomes Barros
Born in 1865, he was the first Brazilian author of string works, also considered the best popular poet in Brazil. Several of his brilliant works served as the basis for the stories of other authors.
Joao Martins de Athayde
Brazilian poet and publisher, born in 1880, who greatly contributed to the dissemination of string literature through his own printing press. His main contribution to the evolution of string literature refers to the incorporation of photographs of Hollywood artists on the cover of the brochures.
Firminio Teixeira Do Amaral
He was a popular poet and journalist born in 1896. Throughout his short life he stood out as one of the main authors of popular literature. To him is due the creation of the tongue twister, as a new genre within the song.
Jose Fernando Souza e Silva
He was an important poet and astrologer born in 1902. Above all, he is known for being the creator of the most popular almanac in northeastern Brazil, the Almanac de Pernambuco, which exceeded 70000 copies between 1936 and 1972.
Apolonio Alves Dos Santos
This representative of literature of twine was born in Brazil in 1926. He began writing pamphlets when he was 20 years old and by the end of his life he had 120 of them. However, she was unable to publish his first novel and ended up selling it to another artist in 1948, who published it a year later.
Art Works
Undoubtedly, string literature consists of innumerable works, each with different characteristics that make them special. Here we will name some of them:
Or Dinheiro.
The horse that defecated the money.
Battle of Oliveiros against Ferrabrás.
The dagger and the candlestick.
Discussion of two poets.
The hero Joao Cangucu.
The northern adventurer.
Olegario and Albertina between crime and love.
Thank you for the important information, very complete.