History and thought of a symbolist group in Curitiba in the 1890S:

reflections on the Cenáculo Group

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48075/rlhm.v21i37.33596

Abstract

This article focuses on a group of intellectuals, mostly dedicated to literature, who graduated in Curitiba, in the 1890s – the context of a modernizing euphoria in the capital of Paraná. Calling itself Cenáculo, the group (formed by writers Dario Vellozo, Silveira Netto, Antonio Braga and Julio Pernetta) is considered one of the most important national centers for the constitution and development of Symbolist aesthetics. This text initially discusses the way in which the group was formed and the nature of their meetings and intellectual exchanges. The analysis is carried out based on the memories of Silveira Netto (recorded in a periodical of the time) and is also based on reflections in the book “Elective Affinities”, by Johann von Goethe. In the second part of the article, the discussion focuses on the group’s identifications with the Symbolist aesthetics. The text indicates some approximations between the thinking of intellectuals from Paraná and French Symbolist intellectuals (especially Charles Baudelaire), as well as certain particularities that Symbolism acquired in the context of Paraná. In particular, special emphasis is placed on the discussion surrounding the understanding of the members of the Cenáculo Group regarding the meaning of art: at the same time that it was understood in its sphere of nobility and transcendence (as is characteristic of Symbolism), it was associated with civilization and progress (elements that were highly evident in Paraná at the time).

Author Biography

Silvia Gomes Bento de Mello, Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste - UNICENTRO

Professora Associada do Departamento de História da Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste - UNICENTRO, campus de Guarapuava, PR. Doutora em História Cultural, pela Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.  

Published

07-05-2025

How to Cite

GOMES BENTO DE MELLO, S. History and thought of a symbolist group in Curitiba in the 1890S: : reflections on the Cenáculo Group. Journal of Literature, History and Memory, [S. l.], v. 21, n. 37, 2025. DOI: 10.48075/rlhm.v21i37.33596. Disponível em: https://e-revista.unioeste.br/index.php/rlhm/article/view/33596. Acesso em: 9 jul. 2025.

Issue

Section

PESQUISA EM LETRAS NO CONTEXTO LATINO-AMERICANO E LITERATURA, ENSINO E CULTURA