The genesis documents of the novel Água Viva by Clarice Lispector and the printed tradition

Abstract

This work aims to present a transversal interpretative reading of the genesis documents of the work Água Viva (1973) by Clarice Lispector and the printed tradition, an excerpt from our doctoral thesis in Language Studies defended at the Federal University of Mato Grosso, in Cuiabá-MT. Our aim was to verify if there was a change in the textual body of the work, in the text transmission process, that could interfere in the writer’s style and/or in the sense of the work. Our analysis performed in two stages: a) we compare the typescript with the first published edition; b) we compared the first edition in relation to the printed tradition. In this analysis, were used the theoretical and methodological orientation of Textual Criticism (SPINA, 1977; BLECUA, 1983; CANDIDO, 2005; CAMBRAIA, 2005; SANTIAGO-ALMEIDA, 2015, 2016). From the results, we highlight two considerations: the first concerns the edition published in 1973, which carries Lispector’s “desire” for writing and has the authority to be the content-form of the writer’s genuine will, not only for what it makes visible (the verbal sign), but by writing it in the white space of the page, what we call “lispectorian layout”; the second concerns the gesture of writing outlined as metamorphosing, since we notice in the testimonies changes in the architecture of the homepage in verbal and non-verbal characters, which denotes interference both in the author’s style and in the sense of the work. Lispector is devoted to writing, to writing practice, in the form of a research paper; therefore, the changes identified must be taken into account in future publications, so that the work Água Viva can be read by new generations and being appreciated in its most genuine form.