“A caverna”, de José Saramago, pela “lição de coisas” andreseniana

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the novel The Cave (2000), by José Saramago, in the light of concepts present in "Arte poética I", by the Portuguese writer Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, according to the research model proposed by Gagliardi (2018). In his late-century novel, Saramago portrays a community of characters based on the exchange of authentic experiences (Benjamin, 2012), in which the clay is a central element for them, as it provides a connection, as in Sophia's text, between individuals and nature. In (post-)modernity, the imbalance in the relationships between beings and things, which come to be valued, according to Benjamin's perspective, predominantly from their utility to the detriment of the art involved in their production, is a threat to the survival of the small group of characters in the novel. In contrast, the clay pitcher will be the symbol of the connection between members of the Algor family and of their resistance to the perilous present times.