Formação e semiformação: uma análise dialética dos elementos regressivos e violentos da cultura em “Dom Casmurro” à luz da teoria crítica frankfurtiana

Abstract

This dissertation aims to develop a critical analysis of cultural formation, taking into account the contributions of literature in its ethical and aesthetic aspects, with a view to questioning the reality shaped by the dialectical critique of research on regressive contexts that give rise to acts of violence and barbarism. The object of this study—the literary analysis of Machado de Assis’s “Dom Casmurro,” a complex work that presents the categories used in the research as a productive tension for rethinking cultural formation—is presented as an immanent critique in light of Frankfurt School critical theory. The analysis of concepts and theoretical perspectives establishes a relationship between culture, education, and society, focusing on the process of humanization of individuals in a contemporary context and the capacity to resist dominant rationality. The analysis is developed by considering the premises of Frankfurt School critical theory, which allow for the identification of and resistance to regressive and violent elements in the formation of subjects. From a theoretical-methodological standpoint, the research is grounded in Adornian negative dialectics. The methodology is theoretical-bibliographic in nature, involving successive analytical readings to understand the text’s vocabulary and overall vision, as well as textual analysis through the main theme and the logical sequence of specific arguments. The theoretical f ramework is Theodor Adorno and Horkheimer.