A morte na literatura infantojuvenil: um diálogo entre Gustavo Martín Garzo e Lygia Bojunga

Abstract

This research investigates the theme of death in the works “El hada que quería ser niña” and “El vuelo del ruiseñor” – narratives present in the short story book Tres cuentos de hadas (2003) – by the Spanish writer Gustavo Martín Garzo (1948), and Corda bamba (1981) and Nós três (1988), from the Brazilian writer Lygia Bojunga (1932). The research is comparatist in nature, founded on the death symbolism employed by both authors in their narratives. It gives a brief history of Spanish and Brazilian Children’s and Young Adult literature. Furthermore, questions pertaining to death, as well as fracturing themes, are raised about Children’s and Young Adult Literature such as drug use, sexual abuse, suicide, parental separation and violence. The analysis of symbolic elements relating to death in the fictional works is done using the dictionary of symbols by Chevalier and Gheerbrant (1988). Departing from this analysis, we make the comparison of data in the fictional narratives of Martín Garzo and Bojunga. After the comparatist act, we conclude the importance of addressing hard themes in Children’s and Young Adult fiction, for they help the young reader to assimilate problem situations through reading the fictional text.