The contradiction particular/universal in O Guesa by Sousândrade

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the epic poem O Guesa, by Joaquim de Sousândrade, considering the particular/universal opposition as the poem's guiding axis. There are various critical polemics around the poet throughout the 1960s. On the one hand, Antonio Candido classifies the author as a minor poet in the Formação da literatura brasileira. And on the other hand, Haroldo de Campos, in Revisão de Sousândrade, highlights the inventiveness of his verses, placing him alongside European avant-garde artists such as Mallarmé and James Joyce. Therefore, our hypothesis is that the controversy between Antonio Candido and Haroldo de Campos permeates, as a central issue, the opposition between particular/universal. This happens because the epic poem dialogues with the tradition of Brazilian romanticism and breaks with it, especially in the book II and X.