Between subversion and dependence: post-aesthetic in literary criticism

Abstract

Brazilian literary criticism has undergone significant transformations since its formation, especially with the influence of Afrânio Coutinho, who sought to establish a relatively autonomous, systematic, and scientific approach to literature. His perspective, centered on immanent analysis focused on language and the valorization of literary aesthetics, faces challenges with the consolidation of cultural studies, which emphasize the sociocultural, historical, and political contextualization of literary works, moving away from aesthetic principles. This theoretical and methodological shift has generated tensions between the preservation of literature as an autonomous art and its reading as a cultural practice embedded in power systems that supposedly should promote a certain historical reparation by making new voices visible, relegating aesthetics and scientific rigor—at least that proposed by Coutinho—to a secondary plane. This is because, on the one hand, Coutinho's idea of ​​science is intimately linked to immanentist currents, that is, Slavic formalism, structuralism, and stylistics. On the other hand, Culture Studies, that I call post-aesthetics, claim their own scientific rigor, which is strongly connected to sociology and anthropology. This article explores this transition, highlighting the relevance of Coutinho's thought and the new demands of the critical field, which include interdisciplinarity and engagement with contemporary issues. Despite resistance to adopting broader approaches, Brazilian literary criticism has sought to balance analytical rigor and epistemological openness, promoting reflections that engage with both tradition and innovation.