Representação da infância em narrativas de Miriam Alves

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the representation of childhood in contemporary Portuguese-language literature and to present how childhood has been narrated in the works of Miriam Alves. The author focuses mainly on the representation of black female childhood and, in contrast, on white male childhood, inviting the reader and analyst to reflect with special attention on the way childhood is treated. In this article, in addition to fictional works by Miriam Alves, theoretical studies of History, Literature Theory and Literary Criticism related to the theme were used. Initially, a brief analysis of mimesis is made in order to shed light on the specificities of the representation of reality in fictional texts and, later, a general and historical analysis of male and female black childhood in children's literature is conducted. Thus, it is observed how values are manufactured within the narratives, which allows us to question how these works resemble reality and how much they can influence the society that welcomes them. To conclude, the representations of childhood in Miriam Alves' narratives are analyzed in depth, giving a greater focus on black female identity.