Monstros do crime : o gótico nos programas policiais da televisão, o caso do Bandeira 2

Abstract

This research investigates the moral dimensions constructed in the criminal narrative of the televised police program Bandeira 2, broadcast by TV Difusora. It identifies the Gothic conventions present and analyzes how Gothic elements, including its monsters, contribute to the promotion of fear. The research is justified by the cultural and social relevance of police programs in legitimizing discourses on criminality and social control, as well as the unexplored approach to the Bandeira 2 police program from the perspective of Gothic studies. The theoretical framework is based on authors such as Botting (2014), Spooner (2010), Carroll (1990), and França (2022) to discuss the Gothic and the concept of the moral monster, in addition to Kalifa (2019), Sasse (2019), and Porto (2009) to contextualize criminal narratives in Brazilian history and media. Contributions from Delumeau (2009) on fear were also incorporated. The methodology involved analyzing a corpus of 48 episodes of Bandeira 2, selected between 2000 and 2021, available on digital platforms. The episodes were transcribed and analyzed based on their narrative characteristics, identifying elements such as the locus horribilis, “narrative excess”, and the figure of the monster, characteristic of the Gothic imaginary. Through this approach, the thesis demonstrates how Bandeira 2 employs Gothic tropes to reinforce a moralizing appeal and the fear of crime.