Devils and little devils: a Social History of the clothing in the Brazilian Carnival

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to examine the symbolical meanings of clothing in the beginning of the Brazilian Republic by focusing on the devil carnival costume that became popular throughout 19th century and ended up being abolished in the 20th century. It intends to present a comparative study of the meanings of costume that can be found in Brazilian literature, journalistic chronicle and caricature. Therefore, two texts written by Lima Barreto, “A vingança” and “O moleque”, are pivotal in this study in order to understand how social rules were present in carnival costumes. Analysis is based on a cultural approach of History and Literature.

Keywords:
Carnival; little devil; Lima Barreto