MANDRAKE, AN ATYPICAL HERO IN THE SHORT STORY “DIA DOS NAMORADOS” BY RUBEM FONSECA

Abstract

This paper will analyze the character Mandrake, recurrent in Rubem Fonseca's fiction, in the case of the short story “Dia dos Namorados” (1975). It seeks connotations contained in the name “Mandrake” by reviewing its semantic meanings and the origin of this name in the history of literature. Resorting to the nomination of character as literary practice (AGUIAR; SILVA, 1990), we clarify what characteristics are attributed to the character by the name “Mandrake”. Considering the double meanings of the word “hero” and the theoretical concepts of F. K. Stanzel (1986) about the narrator, we propose to designate the character “Mandrake” as an atypical hero.