João do Rio, um olhar sobre a miséria urbana nas crônicas "os que começam.... "e" as mulheres mendigas"

Abstract

The present work aims to study the representation of misery in the chronicles “Os que começam” and “As Mulheres mendigas” by João do Rio, written in the context of the cultural Belle Époque in Rio de Janeiro and inserted in the book A alma encantadora das ruas by the author himself. The research methodology chosen for the elaboration of this work was bibliographical critical analysis, based on a theoretical construct based mainly on texts by Candido (1992), Bosi (2006), Berman (1986), among others, who offered support for the analysis of João do Rio's chronicles, as well as for the understanding of the social and cultural context of the time. With the study, it is intended to highlight the importance of João do Rio with regard to the consolidation of the chronicle in Brazil, and the fine representation of misery in the analyzed examples. As a result of the research, it is observed that João do Rio chooses to represent misery in the analyzed chronicles through two social types, women and children, and dives into their universes in an attentive way in order to perceive detailed characteristics of these groups. The misery shown by Rio involves the existence of an industry that uses it as a means of sustenance and a way of life, and even a certain hierarchy in the complex universe of miserable people.