Can the animals speak? The biology of language in “Conversa de Bois”, of Guimarães Rosa

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7917.2023.e92604

Keywords:

Zooliterature, Animal subjectivity, Animal language, Biology of knowledge, Guimarães Rosa

Abstract

Can man and animal have a language in common? Can species talk? The present essay aims to contribute to the studies of animal language and zooliterature. We will examine how Guimarães Rosa, in the short story “Conversa de Bois” from the book Sagarana, presents the problem of interspecies language. We will propose an interdisciplinary analysis of the work in the light of recent scientific advances in the fields of language and animal subjectivity – with emphasis on the theory of pragmatic language by Vinciane Despret, the hybrid communities of Dominique Lestel, and the biology of knowledge, by Humberto Maturana. Our hypothesis is that Rosa, according to these researchers, considers love as the foundation of both human language and a becoming-language – with revolutionary potential – between animals and men.

Author Biography

Victor Hermann, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Doutor em Literatura, Outras Artes e Mídias pela Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (2020). Possui graduação em Artes Visuais pela Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (2010) e mestrado em Artes pela Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (2014). Atua principalmente nas seguintes áreas: Estudos do Antropoceno; Catástrofe; Teoria da Literatura; Arte Contemporânea; Estética na Era Digital; Literatura e Filosofia.

References

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Published

2023-07-04

How to Cite

HERMANN, Victor. Can the animals speak? The biology of language in “Conversa de Bois”, of Guimarães Rosa. Anuário de Literatura, [S. l.], v. 28, p. 01–15, 2023. DOI: 10.5007/2175-7917.2023.e92604. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/literatura/article/view/92604. Acesso em: 31 dec. 2025.

Issue

Vol. 28 (2023)

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2023 Victor Hermann

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