ABSTRACT
This article intends to analyse the ambivalent uses of literature present in three francophone newspapers produced in Brazil during the nineteenth century, Le Courrier du Brésil, France et Brésil and Le Messager de São Paulo. These publications, besides covering a good part of the so-called “Golden Era” of Brazilian francophone press, are also linked to two of the main centres of this production (Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo). This analysis is based on the observation that this corpus, due to its peculiarity as a cultural object, has given rise to broader theoretical reflections. With regards to the uses of literature, we argue that the characteristic ambivalence of these newspapers - simultaneously foreign and local productions - allows us to productively discuss and re-evaluate fundamental concepts in comparative literary studies such as the notions of influence and transference. The dual nature of literature in this corpus tends to resist and challenge those theoretical tools that are traditionally invoked to understand intercultural relations. In considering this resistance and challenge, we can revisit, through the lens of those three newspapers, the importance of the study of these newspapers and reinterpret the role of the literature printed in them.
Keywords
Literature; French press; Literary History; Compared Literature