Sunday, July 15, 2012

Gomes Eanes de Zurara



Main masterpieces:   

  • Crónica da Tomada da Cidade de Ceuta (1644)
  • Crónica do Conde D. Pedro de Meneses (1792)
  • Crónica do Conde D. Duarte de Meneses (1793)
  • Crónica do Descobrimento e Conquista de Guiné (1841)


Historical period in literature: 
Medieval literature, period of courtly poets and chroniclers

The Artist's Prose


Zurara succeeded Lopes in 1454, and intended to continue his plan of writing the chronicle of all the Portuguese kings until that date.
Literally less gifted Lopes, Zurara had yet to hard him the fact of report events more or less contemporary, resorting to not only oral testimonies, although submitting them to a scrupulous examination. Zurara is valuable especially as the initiator of the overseas expansion historiography, with the Chronicle about the capture of Ceuta (made ​​in 1415) that will culminate on Os Lusíadas (1572).
His historiographic method differs from Fernão Lopes on some essential points, and results in a reversal: he is concerned with people, individuals, and not with social groups, testifying a chivalrous conception of history, meaning that isolated action of the rider prevails over that of the masses. Furthermore, he shows susceptible to the influence of classical culture, visible in quotes and in certain phraseological tournaments.

 

Consulted sources:  

Portal da Literatura Portuguesa
infopédia_Zurara

No comments:

Post a Comment