The Crossing

an epic tale

Abstract

The corpus of this article is the short story A travessia, by Josué Guimarães. The objective is to demonstrate how the theme of revenge is manifested in the text. The methodology adopted is analytical in nature, aiming to elucidate how the epic dimension and estrangement are discursively articulated in order to concretize the theme. Issues related to enunciation are examined, particularly the establishment of a narrator. As theoretical grounding, Aristotle’s Poetics is employed for the analysis of the categories of the epic and verisimilitude. The category of estrangement is discussed based on the work of Tzvetan Todorov in his studies of fantastic literature. Questions concerning enunciation draw on the theoretical framework of enunciative linguistics, as developed by Fiorin. In addressing revenge, the central theme of the short story, reference is made to studies in the semiotics of passions (Greimas and Fontanille).The analysis carried out leads to the conclusion that A travessia is an epic short story in which estrangement and verisimilitude are manifested, and that the theme of revenge guides the narrative organization.