CHURCHES AMIDST ECHOES AND REFLECTIONS: HISTORY AS A SPACE OF LOVE AND CONTROVERSY

Abstract

This paper analyzes the autobiographical works of Francisco de Assis Iglésias, focusing on A Noiva da Colina and Caatingas e Chapadões, guided by the nuances of a love story: would Iglésias be a Narcissus, contemplating his reflection in the landscapes and memories, or an Echo, resonating the voices of other travelers? Do his writings promote a link between History and Literature as Durval Muniz did? The study uses the archetypes narrated by Ovid (2007) in Metamorphoses, to explore how the author projects his memories and experiences in the scenarios of the backlands and the city of Piracicaba, weaving a dialogue between individuality and collectivity. The methodology adopted is qualitative and interpretative, based on the comparative analysis of Iglésias' autobiographical narratives in dialogue with the concepts of autobiographical pact by Lejeune (1980) and concepts by Bourdieu (1996). Michel de Certeau (1987), Michel Foucault (1975), Hayden White (2001), François Dosse (2009), Sandra Pesavento (2002), and Thamara Rodrigues (2023) offer theoretical support to discuss the complex relationships between memory, temporality, and subjectivity in autobiography. This research aims to understand Francisco de Assis Iglésias in his creative process, investigating why and how he wrote, and following the intellectual development present in his memoirs. The results indicate that Iglésias constructs a hybrid narrative, in which his trajectory is articulated with the collective memory of Piracicaba and the Brazilian backlands, marked by love. It is concluded that Francisco de Assis Iglésias moves between the archetypes of Narcissus and Echo, using writing as an act of resistance to oblivion. His memoirs reveal a rich and multifaceted identity, in which the individual "I" intertwines with the collective "we", preserving the history and culture of the places he inhabited.