Mil e uma utilidades: a contribuição da literatura brasileira para a crítica da publicidade

Abstract

The overall objective of this research is to analyze the criticism of advertising as presented in the literature written by Machado de Assis, Carlos Drummond de Andrade and Sebastião Nunes. Specifically, this study intends to disclose - through interpretation of their literary language - the mechanisms by which the publicity field is presented and represented. This operation makes it possible to understand how Machado de Assis, Carlos Drummond de Andrade and Sebastião Nunes have attentively observed publicity and turned it into an important theme for their literature so as to comprehend culturally the society of their times. They were attentive enough to observe a number of problematic issues related to behavior habits which were promoted by advertising. The most recurrent aspects among these are related to consumerism, euphoric happiness, narcissism, alienation and reification. Another goal implied by this research points to the possibility of gathering a literary corpus around the questioning of the discourse of publicity. In this sense, it aims to contribute with the consolidation of a critical corpus concerning the studies of literature and communication in an interdisciplinary perspective.