BETWEEN VELVETS AND BROCADES: A STUDY ABOUT FASHION IN OS SINOS DA AGONIA, BY AUTRAN DOURADO
fashion, literature, Os sinos da agonia, Autran Dourado.
This study aims to comprehend the fashion influence in the narrative construction and characterization in the romance written by Autran Dourado, Os sinos da agonia, published in 1974. Starting from an analysis focused on theoretical studies about fashion, culture, and literature. The purpose is to reflect on the form the writer sets the romance through elements of the clothes from Minas Gerais in the 18th century, besides other fashion items that are not part of the dressing. Given that fashion has significant participation in the way individuals highlight their identity and show their position in a social group. Therefore, the contemplation of colonial Brazil scholars allowed us to perceive cultural aspects present in the fashion customs of pre-industrial Brazilian society in the romance, which collaborates to the narrative construction. It was also aspired to contribute to the discussions on the relationship between fashion and gender, from the analysis of the female characters, with emphasis on the protagonist Malvina. The point of reflection takes place into the participation of the baroque architecture, the perfume, and other customs from Vila Rica’s residents, into the fashion relevance in the context in question. Thereby, it is through the analysis of clothing as a narrative device and fashion as a revealing element of social characteristics that I argue that Dourado’s Os sinos da agonia has fashion as one of the main elements to engender meanings.