This study is the first to examine the presence of prose lyricism as a tendency in Brazilian novels. In addition to examining a selection of works of fiction and writers between the nineteenth and the twenty-first centuries, the book also addresses the absence of the theme in Brazilian literary studies, exposing the origin of a prejudice against lyrical narratives in comparison with the predominant use of social realism. The author bridges this gap, bringing to light some of the implications of this absence with regards to the themes of realism and representation in national literature. She also engages with a selection of relevant theories about lyrical novels, adding to its premises recent and flexible configurations in the theory of genres. The ultimate aim of this book is to contribute to a different perception of prose lyricism and its possibilities for political engagement. This unique investigation provides readers with different degrees of knowledge about Brazilian literature the opportunity to get to know both literary movements in Brazil as well as relevant authors, such as João Guimarães Rosa, Clarice Lispector and Raduan Nassar, among many others.

Contents: Lyricism and the Novel, Two Shifting Concepts - Distinct Approaches to the Lyrical Novel - Outlines of Lyricism - Historical Angles in Brazil - A Troubled Association with Romanticism - Symbolist Prose, a Problem of Commitment? - Revisiting Perspectives with Lyricism - Prose Lyricism Today - Three Contemporary Case Studies - Concluding Remarks.