Economia e sociedade no Centro-Oeste brasileiro do século XIX a partir da leitura do romancista Bernardo Guimarães

Abstract

This article aims to show that the regionalist literary works of Bernardo Joaquim da Silva Guimaraes, a Brazilian author, can be considered as a source for studies on the economy and society of the Brazilian central hinterland in the context of the decay of mining activity in the 19 th  century. In these works, one can find the description of poverty, slavery and other economic and social consequences of the end of the mining cycle, particularly in the Province of Minas Gerais, in the region known as the Triangulo Mineiro and Alto do Paranaiba, and South of Goias. The analysis focuses on the novels entitled  O Garimpeiro (2015),  O Ermitao de Muquem (1958) and O Indio Afonso (1900), and on two short stories,  A Danca dos Ossos (2006a) and Uma Historia de Quilombolas (2006b) .  The article also seeks to contribute to the study of the relationship between literature and economic history that can be found in numerous Brazilian authors.