Guarani and Macunaíma

Indianist literature has borne rich fruit in our literature, because talking about indigenous peoples and their culture is not just talking about a single culture, but rather a vast cultural world found in countless indigenous tribes that have distinct traditions and therefore differ from one another. Indianist writers are those who have dedicated their lives to researching and learning about these varied cultural manifestations and translating them into literature in order to present them to their readers. It is possible to understand, through reading two "Indianist" works, O Guarani, from Brazilian Romanticism, written by José de Alencar, and Macunaíma, from Brazilian Modernism, written by Mário de Andrade, that Brazilian culture is largely defined by the presence of elements of indigenous culture. This work aims to show that José de Alencar manages, from a romantic perspective and in the manner of the writers of his time, to idealize the history of Brazil in the pages of his novel, while Mário de Andrade, imbued with the renovating spirit of Modernism, does so in a humorous way, as a reinterpretation of romantic ideals.