Reading 1001 discussion

Review thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

"Tent of Miracles," by Jorge Amado, is a novel that explores the chaos that results when a prominent Columbia University professor, with admiration for a Bahian writer and social scientist named Pedro Archanjo, arrives in Brazil. The story revolves around Archanjo's life, his work, and the impact his discoveries have on the society around him.

1. How is Archanjo's portrayal a reflection of the author's views on intellectuals and their role in Brazilian society?

2. What motivates the Columbia University professor to come to Brazil and champion Archanjo's work?

3. How do the other characters in the novel interact with Archanjo, and what does their relationship reveal about the complexities of Brazilian culture?

4. What is the significance of the "Tent of Miracles" as a symbol in the novel?

5. How does the novel explore the intersection of race, class, and identity in Brazilian society?

6. What is the author's perspective on the importance of self-discovery and the role of education?

7. What specific events or social issues from Brazilian history are reflected in the novel?

8. How does the novel represent the unique cultural landscape of Bahia, Brazil?

9. How does the author use language and storytelling to create a sense of authenticity and realism?

10. What are the key literary devices used by the author (e.g., symbolism, irony, foreshadowing) and how do they enhance the narrative?

11. How does the novel's structure and pacing contribute to the overall impact of the story?

12. What is the author's tone and how does it influence the reader's interpretation of the novel?

Questions compliments of AI. If there are any errors please let me know and I will fix. As always, you can answer one, none or some where inbetween. Happy reading.

1. How is Archanjo's portrayal a reflection of the author's views on intellectuals and their role in Brazilian society?


The author was a modern intellectual but clearly he had an extremely adverse reaction to most academic intellectuals and their counterparts in the publishing industry. One presumes that the author himself was ignored or worse by the Brazilian academic institutions and their professors during his lifetime as only a few of the professors in the book are open minded and empathetic. Professor Frago Neto and Professor Silva Viraja are the exceptions.

2. What motivates the Columbia University professor to come to Brazil and champion Archanjo's work?

He was genuinely impressed by the book and its insights but he stayed for Ana Mercedes.

3. How do the other characters in the novel interact with Archanjo, and what does their relationship reveal about the complexities of Brazilian culture?

Archanjo has two sides to him, although as he himself explains, he is only one mulatto. He is well dressed, well spoken and very charismatic and therefore people in many walks of life look up to him. However, he does not "climb" the ladder, partially because at the time it was hardly possible but also because he preferred to be with "the people", the workers, the other mestizos and mulattos. He also was active in his faith and all the camdomble activities and in this arena he was "the eyes of god/king" or Ojuoba. Brazil is presented as very diverse and very flavored by a wide range of people and their mixed offspring. Brazil is also presented as economically extremely divided between the haves and the have nots.

4. What is the significance of the "Tent of Miracles" as a symbol in the novel?

It is the intellectual home of Archanjo and his best friend. Here they talk, they have activities for the people that only cost a few pennies, here miracles are painted, books are printed and loves are kept alive. It is, in short, a symbol of the heart of Bahia.

5. How does the novel explore the intersection of race, class, and identity in Brazilian society?

All the exploration is done through our seeing the various citizens of Bahia and their interactions. The races mingle quite a bit but the rich do not mingle with the poor as often. People rise up and get out, others lose everything and tumble down. It is a rich world that Archanjo appreciates in all its complexities and ultimately believes that the culture itself will rise up with the continued diversification of the country.

6. What is the author's perspective on the importance of self-discovery and the role of education?

All the characters that the reader has insights into have gotten the largest part of their education in the streets. The author clearly is not a fan of the academic institutions but he is a huge believer in education. In essence, you can not understand the people without understanding more of the world and those who have had theories before you, and you can not have theories about people without actually getting to know them. Archanjo was self educated and he did a huge amount of research both of the book variety and the street variety.

7. What specific events or social issues from Brazilian history are reflected in the novel?

There is the war with Paraguay which was a very horrible bloody war fought for territory. In the novel this happened far in the past but impacted Archanjo as his father passed away in the war. There was the "round ups" of the mulattos which evidently happened repeatedly through out Brazilian history, starting with the reactions to the slave rebellions and later as part of what we would now call ultra right wing policies against anyone not "pure white" or at least not rich. There were the union strikes and the government coup of the 30's but this was presented as largely as a populist uprising against fascism and was not discussed in any detail. There was the first and second world war. The on-going struggle to have the government of Brazil and the upper class of Brazil recognize and work to improve the lives of the poor, "not pure white" citizens, reflected much of what was happening in the US at the time.

8. How does the novel represent the unique cultural landscape of Bahia, Brazil?

The novel is full of the rhythms and sounds of the Brazilian streets. It is also full of the optimistic, persevering and celebratory culture of the diverse people of Brazil. It was very illuminating in regards the syncretization of the African deities with the saints of the Catholic church.

9. How does the author use language and storytelling to create a sense of authenticity and realism?

We hear many tales from romances, to rag to riches stories, that capture all walks of life and all manner of interactions which gives the book its impact.

11. How does the novel's structure and pacing contribute to the overall impact of the story?

The chronology is not straight forward, rather it weaves back and forth from the more modern day celebration to the actual life of Archanjo. It has an erratic pacing and a way of presenting stories so that one is not sure if we will actually hear an ending or not of that particular part of the tale. Ultimately the book does tie up much of the threads but not all of them, giving the reader a sense that the book reflects real life.

1. How is Archanjo's portrayal a reflection of the author's views on intellectuals and their role in Brazilian society?

Archanjo is self-educated and the author's view seems to be that this makes him more genuine and original in his thinking than the university professors, even those who are sympathetic to him.

2. What motivates the Columbia University professor to come to Brazil and champion Archanjo's work?

Call me a cynic but I assumed that Professor Levenson was motivated to "discover" Archanjo because it meant he could publish stuff about him and get his own name known at the same time as Archanjo's. There was maybe nothing in the text to support this, except Levenson's lack of interest in Bahian literature and details of Archanjo's life.

3. How do the other characters in the novel interact with Archanjo, and what does their relationship reveal about the complexities of Brazilian culture?

Archanjo was a familiar character now that I've read more South American literature - everyone in his community loves him, especially women, he's the kind of man everyone turns to, but completely unknown and unappreciated outside of his own community. He challenges the establishment but in his lifetime he dosen't succeed in changing the class structure which includes entrenched racism.

His son Tadeu breaks into an upper class but turns away from his roots to do that. Zabela, an old lady from an upper class family, has lost all her money and slipped down the ladder, and she is mostly rejected by the people who share her roots.

4. What is the significance of the "Tent of Miracles" as a symbol in the novel?

To me, the Tent of Miracles represents the coming together of European culture in the form of Christianity (the pictures that Lidio Corro paints) and African religion and culture (the ceremonies that take place there and the puppet shows). It is also the place where Corro prints Archanjo's books that challenge the social structure. Its destruction represents the insistence of the Brazilian ruling class that these things and people must be kept separate.

5. How does the novel explore the intersection of race, class, and identity in Brazilian society?

Through Archanjo's genealogical studies and in other ways, the novel challenges the idea that there were two races in Brazil at that time - European-Brazilian and African-Brazilian, with some people of mixed race. Archanjo's thesis is that everyone is mixed, at least in Bahia. I knew that there are African-Brazilian people, but I didn't know until reading about this book that one-third of all slaves taken from Africa went to Brazil. There was also an indigenous population of course, so the proportion of people of European descent in the days of slavery must have been small, as in the Caribbean.

12. What is the author's tone and how does it influence the reader's interpretation of the novel?

I thought the tone was warm, affectionate, and celebratory, and it gave the impression that despite the attempts of the powerful to segregate and suppress, people would come together in the long term.

I read this novel in 2019. I liked Amado's writing style and found his characters very realistic. However, I thought the novel meandered a great deal, and would have been improved with some cutting here and there and tightening it up to a shorter book.

1. How is Archanjo's portrayal a reflection of the author's views on intellectuals and their role in Brazilian society? Archanjo portrays the author's viewpoint that these intellectuals are often bigoted and racists but also some are his friends. Some are socialists but they never really understand the common person trying to exist.

2. What motivates the Columbia University professor to come to Brazil and champion Archanjo's work? He comes because he admires Archanjo's work but stays because of Ana Mercedes

3. How do the other characters in the novel interact with Archanjo, and what does their relationship reveal about the complexities of Brazilian culture? The women sleep with him, bare children that he never claims to be the father. His friends like to drink and party with him.

4. What is the significance of the "Tent of Miracles" as a symbol in the novel? a literal art shop and gathering place, representing cultural expression, community, and a space for dialogue and celebration. Was it also to be contrasted with the tent of meeting or Tabernacle from the Bible?

5. How does the novel explore the intersection of race, class, and identity in Brazilian society? It explores the intersection of race and culture and identity by first of all pointing out that there really are no pure whites and that the cross breeding levels the differences so all are alike. But it really doesn't because the mixed race people struggle the most.

6. What is the author's perspective on the importance of self-discovery and the role of education? Role of education is good but it can be self taught.

7. What specific events or social issues from Brazilian history are reflected in the novel? race, identity, class. The mixture of African culture, Catholic, etc.

8. How does the novel represent the unique cultural landscape of Bahia, Brazil? By creating an atmosphere of Carnival. Color, noise, music, etc.

9. How does the author use language and storytelling to create a sense of authenticity and realism? He doesn't translate all the words that portray the culture and adds bits and pieces of stories and songs that reflect the culture.

10. What are the key literary devices used by the author (e.g., symbolism, irony, foreshadowing) and how do they enhance the narrative? The tent is a symbol. His godchildren represent the mixed culture. Irony is the hypocrisy in the culture. The parades add magical realism with the various gods/goddesses, satanic beings. Uninhibited sexual passion between different races as a solution to racism

11. How does the novel's structure and pacing contribute to the overall impact of the story?

12. What is the author's tone and how does it influence the reader's interpretation of the novel? at times it is Carnival and others it is serious, fighting to survive.