The circulation of German-language fiction in 19th century Brazil: the case of August Lafontaine (1758-1831)

• Grant number: 24/20374-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Literature - Modern Foreign Literatures
• Principal Investigator: Helmut Paul Erich Galle
• Grantee: Larissa de Assumpção
• Supervisor: Daniel Weidner
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/07967-6 - The circulation of German fictional books in the nineteenth century Rio de Janeiro, BP.PD

Abstract

The aim of this project is to map and to analyze aspects related to the circulation and reception of fictional books by August Lafontaine (1758-1831) - one the most prominent German-language authors that circulated in the Brazilian territory during the 19th century - in order to contribute to studies on the History of the Book. This research will be based on the analysis of catalogs of German libraries, such as the Gemeinsamer Bibliotheksverbund (GBV); on German, French, Portuguese and Brazilian literary periodicals that circulated during the period of publication of Lafontaine's novels, such as the Leipziger Literaturzeitung (1800-1834), the Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung (1784-1849), the Jenaische Allgemeine Literaturzeitung (1804-1841), Le National: feuille politique et littéraire (1830-1836); La Presse (1836-1952); Novo Correio de Modas (1850-1859) and O Panorama (1837-1868) and on translations of his books into French and Portuguese. The analysis will be centered on three main points: which of Lafontaine's books received more translations in the 19th century; what were the elements mentioned in the literary criticism of the period regarding the plot and structure of these novels, and what characteristics were present in some of his most prominent books. This research aims to find evidence of the relevance of Lafontaine's novels within the transatlantic circulation of novels in the nineteenth century and to contribute to the studies on the circulation and reception of German-language novels.