Aforismos e suas traduções: uma representação da vida e obra de Oscar Wilde

Abstract

In this research work, we present the analyses of Oscar Wilde’s aphorisms from the translation of Oscar Mendes (1961) and Sonia Moreira (2011), which are included in the plays The woman of no importance (1892), An ideal husband (1895) and, The importance of being earnest (1895), in order to verify its association with the creation of Wilde’s literary image in the Brazilian literary polysystem. Initially, we approached aspects about the author’s life and work, contextualized with both his literary production and his social environment. Next, the theoretical postulates on translation, within the historical-critical perspective, were discussed. After the explanation of the theories that guide this study, we undertook a descriptive analysis of the technical procedures used in the translations listed in some Oscar Wilde’s aphoristic stretch, by means of the examination of linguistic, semiotic, cultural and social aspects according to ethnocentric and hypertextual tendencies. After this, it was verified that the aphorisms have had great influence in the constitution of the possible created images of the author in the Brazilian scenario. Finally, we analyzed the paratexts that surround the translated texts and the contexts of production and reception of Oscar Wilde’s works. In the same way, it was understood how the paratexts were directly and indirectly responsible for the generation of these images. The results point to the fact that his aphorisms are often cited in paratexts, so they are correlated and factually contribute to the constitution of Wilde’s image in the Brasilian context.