Between pages and screens

silences in The Time of the Star

Abstract

Silence surrounds the entire Universe and plays a significant role in communication, history, and culture. It is present in and is part of every language. This study focuses on literary and cinematographic languages to verify and compare how silence is used to build meaning. For that, we have selected the Brazilian novel The Time of the Star (1977), by Clarice Lispector, as the object of study, and the film of the same name (1985), directed by Suzana Amaral. Each of these artistic forms and productions, using their specific aesthetic resources, is woven from a large contingent of “silences” that always have meanings. Attributing meaning to silence is, evidently, essential for understanding the message of these artistic narratives. To support the analysis, we called for studies by various authors related to silence, among which we highlight: David Le Breton (1999), Ione Marisa Menegolla (2003), Eni Puccinelli Orlandi (2007), Maria Lúcia Homem (2012), Luzia A. Berloffa Tofalini (2020). We hope to contribute by reflecting on the comparative discussions between literary and cinematographic productions, especially regarding the silence constructed in these productions.