THE POPULAR CULTURE: HIERARCHY AND SUBORDINATION IN THE SERTANEJO

Abstract

O sertanejo (1875) is inserted in the program of constitution of a national literature of Jose de Alencar. The novel describes uses and customs of the North of Brazil, with special focus on what the author denominated popular traditions. The habits of the cowboys , the indigenous, the blacks, the gypsies and other characters of the sertão are evident. With the unfolding of the plot, the narrator reveals his authoritarian and hierarchical features, taking the point of view of the ruling classes and segregating the popular cultures of elite culture.