MARIA NEGRA: THE VISION OF THE BLACK WOMAN IN THE WORK ANARQUISTAS, GRAÇAS A DEUS AND THE LITERARY RECEPTION OF THE "VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB JOÃO ANZANELLO CARRASCOZA"

Abstract

With the aim of understanding the importance of book clubs in Brazil as privileged places for reader development, this study focuses on the reception of the work Anarquistas, Graças a Deus (1979) by Zélia Gattai. Specifically, it analyzes the presence of the character Maria Negra in this work, which was read by members of the Extension Project "Virtual Book Club João Anzanello Carrascoza." This book club is the result of an extension project that targets students from the Letters course at UNESPAR, as well as the community of Paranavaí (PR) and the surrounding region, in addition to Pedagogy students from FACCAT and the community of Tupã (SP) and the region. Through the participants' reading reports, responses from the online attendance form, and written comments in the chat, it was possible to understand how the themes and aesthetics present in the book were received by each member, with different profiles and reading experiences. Given the context, based on the club members' comments, it is possible to understand how readers perceive and analyze the situation of the Brazilian black woman through the reading of the book Anarquistas, Graças a Deus, with a focus on Maria Negra. The text is divided into two parts: a socio-historical reading of the character, supported by historical records that describe the condition of Afro-Brazilian women after abolition, and how Gattai's literature reflects this situation; and subsequently, the comments and opinions of the book club members regarding the theme.