“É boa leitura, mas para momentos de lazer”: a leitura dos romances de Walter Scott pelo imperador Pedro II / “It’s good to read, but in moments of leisure”: the reading of Walter Scott’s novels by Emperor Pedro II

Resumo: O objetivo deste artigo é analisar as anotações e opiniões sobre os romances de Walter Scott presentes em cartas escritas pelo imperador Pedro II. Para isso, serão utilizadas como fonte as missivas enviadas pelo imperador à princesa Isabel e ao conde de Gobineau, entre os anos de 1860 e 1880, e que hoje fazem parte do Arquivo Grão-Pará do Museu Imperial de Petrópolis. A análise das práticas de leitura retratadas nessas cartas teve como base três aspectos principais: de que maneira a obra de Walter Scott era vista no século XIX, qual eram os pensamentos de Pedro II sobre esses livros e como o imperador e a princesa Isabel realizaram a leitura do romance Ivanhoé. Ao final do trabalho, conclui-se que a leitura de livros de Walter Scott era bastante valorizada pela crítica do período e por outros membros da aristocracia. Pedro II também admirava as qualidades literárias dos romances de Scott, que, segundo ele, eram uma ótima ocupação para os momentos de descanso e lazer. Além disso, em suas cartas, ele indica a leitura de diferentes obras do escritor, como Ivanhoé e Waverley, com base em critérios que também eram utilizados pela crítica especializada do período, como a qualidade das descrições, a verossimilhança, a construção das personagens e a capacidade dos romances de entreter e instruir os leitores.Palavras-chave: Walter Scott; família imperial brasileira; Ivanhoé, carta; leitura.Abstract: The purpose of this article is to analyze the notes and opinions about Walter Scott’s novels written in letters by Emperor Peter II. The corpus of the study are the missives sent by the emperor to Princess Isabel and to the Count of Gobineau between the years 1860 and 1880 and which are part of the Grão-Pará Archive of the Imperial Museum of Petrópolis. The analysis of the reading practices represented in these letters is based on three main aspects: how Walter Scott’s work was seen in the 19th century, what were Pedro II’s thoughts about these books and how the Emperor and Princess Isabel read the novel Ivanhoe. It is concluded that the reading of Walter Scott’s books was highly valued by critics of the period and by other members of the aristocracy. Pedro II also admired the literary qualities of Scott’s novels, which, according to him, were a great occupation for moments of leisure. In his letters, he indicates the reading of different works of the writer, such as Ivanhoe and Waverley, based on criteria that were also used by specialized critics of the period, such as the quality of the descriptions, the construction of the characters and the capacity of the novels to entertain and instruct the readers.Keywords: Walter Scott; Brazilian imperial family; Ivanhoe; letter; reading.

Nobres leitores: recepção de romances pela família imperial brasileira

Este trabalho analisa a recepção de romances por membros da Família Imperial Brasileira com o objetivo de compreender como obras desse gênero foram lidas e entendidas por parte da elite oitocentista. Para tanto, foram considerados os relatos de leitura presentes no diário da imperatriz Teresa Cristina, escrito entre 1856 e 1887, e nas cartas trocadas entre o imperador Pedro II, a princesa Isabel e a imperatriz, entre 1854 e 1889. Suas práticas de leitura são apresentadas e analisadas por meio do exame de três aspectos principais: de que forma os romances eram lidos e como circulavam; quais opiniões foram externadas sobre o gênero romanesco; e que conceito foi formulado sobre Ivanhoé, romance de Walter Scott, objeto de discussões literárias entre o Pedro II e a princesa Isabel. Conclui-se que a família imperial reagiu aos romances de maneira semelhante à dos leitores comuns e que é falsa a ideia de que romances eram destinados a públicos pouco instruídos, formados por mulheres, jovens e pobres.

At the origin of Folklore studies in Karelia: G.S. Epiphanov and his time

В статье рассматривается возникновение фольклористики в Олонецкой губернии (Карелии) во второй четверти XIX в. Первыми фольклористами были ссыльные поэт-декабрист Ф.Н. Глинка и друг М.Ю. Лермонтова С.А. Раевский, а также выпускник местной гимназии В.А. Дашков и учитель Г.С. Епифанов. Особое внимание уделено анализу публикации Г.С. Епифанова «Заметки об Олонецкой стороне», испытавшей влияние сочинений Н.В. Гоголя и В. Скотта. Сделан вывод, что в отличие от работ других фольклористов, написанных в русле казенного патриотизма, эта статья Г.С. Епифанова отражала более независимую и отчасти оппозиционную позицию автора, из-за чего сам он подвергся гонениям властей. The article reveals the origins of Folklore studies in Olonets province (Karelia) in the second half of the 19thcentury. First folklorists were an exiled poet and Decembrist Fyodor Glinka and Lermontov’s friend Svyatoslav Raevsky, also a local gymnasiumstudent Vasiliy Dashkov and a schoolteacher Grigory Epiphanov. The greatest attention is paid to the analysisof a publication by G. Epiphanov, «Notes about Olonets side», which influenced by the writings by Nikolay Gogol and Walter Scott. It is concluded that in the contrast to the works of other folklorists, written in the spirit of official patriotism, this G. Epiphanov’s article reflects a more independent and partly opposition author’s view, because of what he was persecuted by the authorities.

Gothic Imaginations in Primo Ottocento Opera

<p>Connections between the Gothic and opera remain a subsidiary concern to most writers on the Gothic and on opera, if they are even addressed at all. In this study I wish to illuminate how the Gothic is presented both musically and visually on stage through the setting and thematic traits in select nineteenth-century Italian operas. A number of ideas are central to this aim. Firstly, that the ‘Gothic’ dimension of ‘Gothic opera’ is overtly represented through staging. The settings of many ‘Gothic operas’ in Scotland and England reveal the continental European fascination with northern Europe and its history. This stemmed from the influx of English and Scottish literature, most prominently the Ossian poems and the works of Walter Scott and Shakespeare. Consequently, Gothic scenes such as ruined medieval castles and rugged cliffs, masked by darkness or mist are enmeshed with a northern landscape. Tartan costuming also visually situates the Gothic scenes in Northern Europe. Furthermore, the use of musical mannerisms of Scotland and England, particularly in chorus scenes, reinforces this parallel between the Gothic and the north, linking music to the visible Gothic setting. Secondly, I will explore the way in which Gothic imaginings of both immaterial and physical incarnations of the supernatural move between the latent subconscious and conscious realisation. This is evident through the interplay between voice, orchestra and the singer’s corporeality and draws upon recent operatic studies concerning representation of ‘others’, dramatisation, and theatrical spaces. This second section positions women at the heart of the Gothic in opera, as the soprano is most often the character susceptible to other-worldly encounters and madness. The fundamental figure in this study is Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848). A number of his operas from the 1830s, especially Lucia di Lammermoor, emphasise how the Gothic may be revealed in opera. However, I conclude with a chapter on Macbeth, the ‘Gothic opera’ of Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), for this work demonstrates how the configuration of the Gothic is developed in musical and dramatic terms and presents a case where the supernatural influence becomes all-empowered.</p>

Gothic Imaginations in Primo Ottocento Opera

<p>Connections between the Gothic and opera remain a subsidiary concern to most writers on the Gothic and on opera, if they are even addressed at all. In this study I wish to illuminate how the Gothic is presented both musically and visually on stage through the setting and thematic traits in select nineteenth-century Italian operas. A number of ideas are central to this aim. Firstly, that the ‘Gothic’ dimension of ‘Gothic opera’ is overtly represented through staging. The settings of many ‘Gothic operas’ in Scotland and England reveal the continental European fascination with northern Europe and its history. This stemmed from the influx of English and Scottish literature, most prominently the Ossian poems and the works of Walter Scott and Shakespeare. Consequently, Gothic scenes such as ruined medieval castles and rugged cliffs, masked by darkness or mist are enmeshed with a northern landscape. Tartan costuming also visually situates the Gothic scenes in Northern Europe. Furthermore, the use of musical mannerisms of Scotland and England, particularly in chorus scenes, reinforces this parallel between the Gothic and the north, linking music to the visible Gothic setting. Secondly, I will explore the way in which Gothic imaginings of both immaterial and physical incarnations of the supernatural move between the latent subconscious and conscious realisation. This is evident through the interplay between voice, orchestra and the singer’s corporeality and draws upon recent operatic studies concerning representation of ‘others’, dramatisation, and theatrical spaces. This second section positions women at the heart of the Gothic in opera, as the soprano is most often the character susceptible to other-worldly encounters and madness. The fundamental figure in this study is Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848). A number of his operas from the 1830s, especially Lucia di Lammermoor, emphasise how the Gothic may be revealed in opera. However, I conclude with a chapter on Macbeth, the ‘Gothic opera’ of Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), for this work demonstrates how the configuration of the Gothic is developed in musical and dramatic terms and presents a case where the supernatural influence becomes all-empowered.</p>

Multilingualism, language contact and translation in Walter Scott’s Scottish novels

In his Scottish novels, Walter Scott foregrounded the multilingual and multidialectal situation of Scotland. He not only made a deliberate effort to reflect the different linguistic varieties in the dialogues, but also, through his narrators, drew his readers’ attention to the variety being used or the pronunciation employed. Since Scott is writing about post- Union Scotland, he implies that the United Kingdom is a multilingual and multicultural society, and that the British have to be aware of this in order to make their union stronger in its diversity, by preserving national cultural identities and values. Evidence is given from three of Scott’s most relevant Scottish novels.