Mistérios do Rio de Janeiro: em torno das Memórias de um sargento de milícias e seu público

Scholars has generally recognized the faithful representation of the customs of imperial Brazil as a main feature of the novel Memórias de um sargento de milícias. Considering the hypothesis of a horizon of expectations common to a wide range of readers in the mid-nineteenth century Rio de Janeiro, this article suggests the existence of other meanings related to the novel and shared by its early readers. Besides the realistic reproduction of typical characters and situations, the story also presented an appeased representation of social life, far from the tensions and contradictions that gave sense to the political experience of its readers. 2025. All Rights Reserved.