Macunaíma (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Mário de Andrade
- First Published: 1928
- Type of Plot: Rhapsodic, comic epic
- Time of Work: The early twentieth century
- Setting: Brazil, principally the Amazon jungle and São Paulo
- Principal Characters: Macunaíma, Maanape, Jiguê, Ci, Venceslau Pietro Pietra
- Genres: Long fiction, Satire, Fantasy
- Subjects: Folkloric or magical people, Mythology or myths, Twentieth century, Supernatural, Native Americans or American Indians, Brothers, Brazil or Brazilians, Fantasy, Gods or goddesses, Amazon, Satire, Giants
- Locales: Brazil
The Novel
This unusual work is an antirealist fantasy drawn from Amazonian Indian mythology, Afro-Luso-Brazilian folklore, and the author’s imagination. Thus, much of what occurs is fablelike, magical, or illogical, with no spatial or temporal bounds. The action centers on the hero’s struggle to recover a magical amulet given to him by Ci. His adventures take him to all corners of Brazil and back in time.
Macunaíma is born an ugly black baby to a Tapanhuma Indian mother. Although he is destined to be a popular hero, his mother notes that all names beginning with...
[The entire page is 2548 words long]
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