Reception, Censorship, and Antislavery Debate: Theater in Brazil, c. 1855-1865

ABSTRACT

Using "theories of reception", the article aims to analyze how anti-slavery dramatic texts and spectacles impacted the anti-slavery cause before 1880 before the abolitionist campaign intensified. To this end, it investigated the censorship of the Conservatório Dramático, the advertisements, and the articles about the performances published in newspapers. It also examines how Joaquim Nabuco and José de Alencar discussed slavery in articles published in O Globo. Next, it investigates how the novelists and playwrights interpreted domestic slavery, as evidenced in the play O demônio familiar (1857). The article tries to prove that, between 1850 and 1870, theater had little impact on the debate about slavery. The reception of this theatre chose themes other than the evils of slavery.

Keyword:
slavery; theater; literature; reception; press