Literature took an effective part in the project of establishing Brazilian nationality, a proposal that dominated the intellectual scene in 19 century Brazil. It thus became an ally of the two 'sciences' which made up the Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro (IHGB), conceived precisely to meet this purpose. Nevertheless, both history and geography are activities invested with political and social efficacy and such power is not accorded to literature. What, then, was the role reserved for literature in this project? What did its role consist of? What might have been the rationale for joining two fields that Western thought has been trying to keep separate since the 18 century? These are some of the questions addressed by this paper.
construction of nationality; truth; reality; role of literature