FrancesJulia, parnassian writer, was born on August 31, 1871. She wrote for newspapers like the Correio Paulistano, in addition to other periodicals. Your first book — marbles —, published in 1895, had good reception of critics, but she also suffered accusations of plagiarism or imitation of poetry by the Cuban José María de Heredia, which did not prevent the consecration of the author, who, in 1904, became member of the Brazilian Central Committee of Societá Internazionale Elleno-Latina.
Despite presenting symbolist features in some of her poems, Francisca Júlia is considered a poetess of the Brazilian Parnassianism. So her poems feature objectivity, descriptivism and formal rigor. The author also published childhood book (1899) and Sphinxes (1903). But the end of her life was more romantic than Parnassian, because when her husband died of tuberculosis, the writer also died, in November 1, 1920, possibly due to a suicide.
Read too: Maria Firmina dos Reis – writer of Brazilian romanticism
Francisca Julia Biography
Frances Julia was born on August 31, 1871, in the city of Eldorado Paulista. Her father was a lawyer, and her mother a teacher. When she was eight years old, the poet and her family moved to the city of São Paulo, so that the girl could study. However, in 1891, when you published your first poem in The State of S. Paul, received negative review from Severiano de Rezende (1871-1931), who advised the writer not to write poetry anymore and to carry out other occupations, such as “needle work”.
From 1892 to 1895, Francisca Júlia wrote to the Correio Paulistano, as well as periodicals from Rio de Janeiro, where his verses generated the doubt whether their author was really a woman or a man who used a female pseudonym. Your first book — marbles — was published in 1895. The reception of this work was very positive in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and received praise even from olavo bilac (1865-1918). However, there were those who accused the author of copying or imitating the Cuban poet José María de Heredia (1842-1905). This, however, did not prevent the poet's consecration in her time. So much so that, in 1898, she was part of the jury of the Poetry Contest of Correio Paulistano.
In 1899, childhood book it was published by the government of São Paulo and adopted in schools at the time. In 1902, Francisca Júlia helped found the magazine education. In 1904, she became a member of the Brazilian Central Committee of Societá Internazionale Elleno-Latina, from Rome. In 1906, living in the city of Cabreúva, she started to help her mother in her work as a teacher, or even taking care of household chores. She was invited to participate in the Paulista Academy of Letters in 1907, but the author rejected the invitation, due to don't believe in gyms.
The poetess began to have a deeper involvement with metaphysical issues. In 1908, she gave a lecture entitled Witchcraft from the scientific point of view, in Itu. Soon after, she became ill due to intoxication by uric acid, which caused her to hallucinate, leading Francisca Júlia to believe, at first, that she was becoming a medium. In 1920, the writer's husband died of tuberculosis. On the day he was buried, November 1st, Francisca Júlia also died, in a probable suicide. At the poet's funeral, they were present Oswald de Andrade (1890-1954), Menotti del Picchia (1892-1988), Guilherme de Almeida (1890-1969) and Di Cavalcanti (1897-1976).
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Literary Characteristics of Francisca Júlia
Despite having features symbolists in some poems, the work of Francisca Júlia has characteristics of the Parnasianism:
- anti-romanticism;
- objectivity;
- descriptivism;
- formal rigor: meterification and rhymes;
- social alienation: indifference to social issues;
- art for art's sake;
- metalanguage;
- distancing from the lyrical self;
- Greco-Roman references.
Works by Francisca Júlia
marbles (1895)
childhood book (1899)
Sphinxes (1903)
child's soul — co-authored with Júlio César da Silva (1912)
See too: Cora Coralina – great name in Goiás poetry
Poems by Francisca Júlia
in the poem "Dance of centaurs", from the book Sphinxes, the lyrical self describes centaurs and reports their actions. In the first stanza, these mythological beings are described. In the second, in addition to the descriptive character, there is also an indication of their actions, “in fights and tournaments”. In the third stanza, joy and freedom are replaced by the tension of flight.. In the fourth stanza, we discover that the threat is called Hercules.
centaur dance
Front feet in the air, mouths free of brakes,
Naked, screaming, playing, crisscrossing their spears,
Here they come, graceful, in the evolution of dances
Rude, flaunting the whiteness of her breasts in the light.
The night listens, the moonlight shines, the French moan;
A thousand laughing centaurs, in fights and tournaments,
They gallop free, come and go, breasts full
In the air, her hair loose in the light of the gentle auras.
The moonlight pales, night falls, dawn...
The equestrian dance stops and soon thunders the space
The infernal gallop of the fleeing centaurs:
It's that, far away, in the light of the pale moonlight,
Huge, angry look of the heroic arm
Pending the Argive club, Hercules appears...
As for the style aspects, the sonnet features formal rigor (metrification - twelve or thirteen poetic syllables - and rhymes), descriptivism (description of centaurs and Hercules), distance from me lyric (which is not included in the poem), as well as Greco-Roman references (centaurs and Hercules).
The sonnet “A florista”, from the book marbles, describe a florist and indicates her actions:
the florist
The pregnant corbella is suspended from her arm,
Go ahead, calmly... The sun sparks...
Your carmine Moorish lips
They open, smiling, into a red flower.
Lie in the shade of a tree. a bee
Zoom around the basket... A bird, skittish,
The dust on the floor, close to her, scatters,
Looking at her, sometimes trembling, sideways...
A soft rumbling sounds in his ears
Of leaves... Little by little, a light sleep
The big eyelids closing...
The rustic clog falls from one foot...
And so barefoot, it shows, in abandonment,
The small shape of a soft, white foot.
The poem presents formal rigor (metrification — decasyllables — and rhymes), descriptivism (description of the florist and the bird) and distancing from the lyrical self (which is not included in the poem). Also, as in the previous sonnet, it is possible to check the social alienation, that is, the aim of the text is to express beauty, not to make sociopolitical criticisms.
Tribute to Francisca Julia
![Sculpture by Brecheret on the cover of the book Musa impassível, by Márcia Camargos, published by Imprensa Oficial de São Paulo. [1]](/f/77112a0b60760d3bcabb5ae3d8f9b1ba.jpg)
In 1917, São Paulo poets decided to honor Francisca Júlia with a bronze bust given to the Academia Brasileira de Letras. However, the tribute was only intended. However, after the writer's death, the government of São Paulo built a memorial tomb, at Araçá cemetery, with a statue built in honor of the author, work of Victor Brecheret (1894-1955) — impassive muse (1923). But, in 2006, the statue was removed by the São Paulo State Pinacoteca to avoid degradation and be restored. In 2007, a replica has been placed in its place, since the original became part of the Pinacoteca's collection.
Image credit
[1] Official Press of the State of São Paulo (reproduction)
by Warley Souza
Literature teacher
