A comparison between History of Two Travels to Brazil, by Jean de Léry, and Tristes Tropiques, by Claude Lévi-Strauss, brings up many parallels between the authors and between their narratives about Brazil. De Léry's relation with the country, his description of the Indians and his way of structuring the text turn him into a Lévi-Strauss' predecessor. Instead of retrieving de Léry's narrative, Lévi-Strauss establishes with it a dialog in which on can perceive the authors' divergent points of view. These involve the travellers' nosthalgic memories about their stay in the New World.
Jean de Léry; Claude Lévi-Strauss; travel narratives; images of the Indians