Casa Velha ("The Old House") on a digital and interactive platform: practical communicative experiences with the book by Machado de Assis

• Grant number: 24/05938-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Communications - Journalism and Publishing
• Principal Investigator: João Paulo Lopes de Meira Hergesel
• Grantee: Ana Luiza Bruzadelli de Souza
• Host Institution: Escola de Linguagem e Comunicação (ELC). Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas (PUC-CAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Machado de Assis was one of the greatest Brazilian writers, known for his literary genius and the depth of his works, even though he lived in a society marked by slavery and a rigid social structure, in which being black, poor, stuttering and epileptic represented a series of challenges and limitations. The general objective of this work is to produce an interactive digital book based on his novel Casa Velha, with the aim of rescuing Afro-Brazilian artistic-literary production, popularizing access to culture and meeting the interests of the contemporary reader. The research combines bibliographical review, case study and applied research, exploring trends in the publishing market, analyzing the narrative of Machado de Assis's work, in dialogue with discussions held at the Center for African and Afro-Brazilian Studies Dr.ª Nicéa Quintino Amauro (PUC-Campinas), and developing an interactive digital book in partnership with Espaço Manacás (PUC-Campinas). The methodology adopted includes the use of advanced technological resources to offer hypermedia and multimodal reading experiences. Expected results include the identification and analysis of literary and editorial conventions, promoting the visibility of black authors and the creation of an interactive digital book that enriches Casa Velha's original narrative and makes it more accessible and engaging for contemporary audiences. It is noteworthy that, by developing interactive digital books using innovative technological resources, the research contributes to SDG 9 - "Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure"; Furthermore, by highlighting the work of a black author, the research is in line with SDG 10 - "Reduction of Inequalities".