ANALYSIS OF PARATEXTUAL ELEMENTS IN GUIMARÃES ROSA’S TRANSLATIONS INTO ENGLISH

Abstract

Paratext, as defined by Genette (2009), is one of the ways in which the text presents itself as a book to the reader. Extending this concept to translation, we also have, as Pellatt (2013) argues, another layer of interpretation, formed by the elements that will shape the reader’s reception of the foreign text, such as prefaces and introductory notes. In this paper, we present an analysis of selected paratextual elements of Guimarães Rosa’s works translated into English, such as cover, back cover, flaps, preface, and introduction, comprising the period from 1963 to 2020. From such analysis, it becomes evident how stereotypes about Brazilian literature and Brazil and even the interest devoted to this literature are reflected in the analyzed elements, as well as their evolution in more recent translations.

Keywords
Guimarães Rosa; Paratext; Translation; Brazilian Literature in Translation