“As margens da alegria” e “Os cimos”, de João Guimarães Rosa: uma análise dos contos sob a ocular de Paul Tillich

Abstract

This master’s thesis aims to analyze two short stories written by João Guimarães Rosa and interpret them under the light of the tillichian work. This research was part of the activities developed during the Postgraduate Program in Religious Studies. The book Theology of Culture, written by Paul Johannes Tillich, was elected as theoretical reference for the analysis of Rosa’s short stories, namely As Margens da Alegria and Os Cimos. In his book, Tillich conceptualizes and discusses the concepts of existence and finitude, understood as human cultural experiences. In addition, through the literature review process, other authors, such as Bosi, Nunes and Rosenfield, were consulted as secondary sources of information. Therefore, the methodology can be described as a bibliographical one since the survey focused on the literature review. The research concludes that the “ultimate concern” can manifest itself not only explicitly, but also, implicitly. That is, this concept can appear not only in a religious environment, but also in the profane world that comprehends culture, art, music, and literature. Through the sacred experience and its symbols, one can glance at the depth of the human soul and, also, search for the meaning of existence.