Reading and the Figure of the Reader in the Literature of Machado de Assis: Bridges to Literary Literacy

Abstract

This work aims to analyze the figure of the reader in stories by Machado de Assis, with the aim of understanding how the reader is understood in Machado's literature and, thus, thinking about possible paths for the literary literacy of Basic Education students. Initially, we carried out a brief analysis of reader formation in Brazil. Next, we reflect on the relationship between text, author and reader, the subjective formation of readers and analyze different profiles of readers present in three Machado's short stories: Miss Dollar; Straight line, curved line; Former Cathedra. Finally, we made some critical considerations about the formation of the literary reader in the classroom and the process of literary literacy. As a theoretical basis for understanding the reader and literary literacy, we turn to Jouve (2002), Cosson (2021), Rouxel (2013) and Langlade (2013). For studies of the reader in Machado's tales, we relied on Guimarães (2012) and Zilberman (1996). Thus, it was possible to perceive the writer's conscience regarding the reader's active participation in the reading process, as a builder of the meanings of the work; the subjective nature of the reading activity; the many facets of the reader subjects; and reading as an instrument for the construction of individuals.