The article reports a research work in the social historical domain, here defined according to two dimensions - a deterministic one and an imaginary one. The notion of discursive formation and some procedures of discourse analysis are used in the investigation of the conditions within which the writings of Carolina Maria de Jesus were produced. Social, geographical, linguistic, and historical determinations operating in the work and in the reception of her writings are pointed out. The operation of undetermined, random, and imaginary events - important ingredients in the creation and revelation of those writings - are also revealed. Still considering the social historical domain, the author's popularity and her written work are analyzed.
social historical domain; discursive formation; determinism; social imaginary; Carolina Maria de Jesus