The Political, Social, Historical, and Literary Significance of the Writings of Carolina Maria de Jesus

• Main Author: Brown, Kristin Alexis
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2011
• Subjects: Carolina Maria de Jesus; Quarto de despejo; Casa de alvenaria; Diario de Bitita; favela; Brazil; Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/2598; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3597&context=etd

The writings of Carolina Maria de Jesus, specifically Quarto de despejo, Casa de alvenaria, Diario de Bitita, and poetry selections from her collection Minha antologia are oft times excluded from "canonical" literature. Many critics both in the press and in academic circles refuse to recognize her writings and story as works of merit, focusing primarily on surface issues without addressing the content of her works. The reason for this is complex, spanning the issues of race, education, socio-economic status, and gender. Contrary to the arguments of many critics over the past sixty years, Carolina's writings are valuable in a political, social, historical, and literary sense. She wrote of her fight against hunger, poverty, and prejudice, and spoke out against the practices of politicians and members of the middle and upper classes towards the poor. Her works contain experiences from a member of Brazil's marginalized population during the mid-twentieth century, something that had never before been published.