Economics and society in the Brazilian Central-West during the 19th century based on the reading of the novelist Bernardo Guimarães

Abstract

This article aims to show that the regionalist literary works of Bernardo Joaquim da Silva Guimarães, 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 Paranaíba, and South of Goiás. The analysis focuses on the novels entitled O Garimpeiro (2015), O Ermitão de Muquém (1958) and O Índio Afonso (1900), and on two short stories, A Dança dos Ossos (2006a) and Uma História 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.