Rebellion in the Backlands (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Euclides da Cunha
- First Published: 1902
- Type of Plot: Factual historical chronicle
- Time of Work: The 1870’s through the 1890’s, especially October, 1896, to October, 1897
- Setting: The backlands () of Northeast Brazil, centered in Bahia state, especially in and around the town of Canudos
- Principal Characters: Antonio Vicente Mendes Maciel, Pajehú, Lieutenant Manuel da Silva Pires Ferreira, Major Febronio de Brito, Colonel Antonio Moreira Cesar, General Arthur Oscar de Andrade Guimarães, General Claudio do Amaral Savaget, Marshal Carlos Machado de Bittencourt
- Genres: Long fiction, Historical fiction
- Subjects: Nineteenth century, Revolutions, Religion, War, Brazil or Brazilians, Guerrillas or guerrilla warfare, Armies
- Locales: Brazil
The Novel
Rebellion in the Backlands is not fiction but rather a factual account of an actual historical event. The event—a rebellion led by a charismatic religious fanatic against the federal government of Brazil—might have sunk into obscurity but for Cunha’s account, which does not merely report the event but also defines and interprets its significance. As a result, Rebellion in the Backlands has been called Brazil’s national epic, and its influence on Brazilian fiction—indeed, South American fiction—has been substantial. The work itself, with its plot...
[The entire page is 2808 words long]
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