Poe, os limites entre o fantástico e o estranho e um debate a partir de Todorov e Roas

Abstract

This paper discusses the work of two important authors for the literature and the development of the fantastic: the Bulgarian scholar Tzvetan Todorov and the American Edgar Allan Poe. Todorov’s studies, especially his Introdução à literatura fantástica (2017) are fundamental to the understanding of different conceptualizations of the fantastic and its neighboring genres. That said, Poe also holds a privileged place in the fantastic studies, including in those by Todorov. Of Poe’s works, two are highlighted in the Bulgarian’s postulations: The Black Cat, due to being pointed out by the theoretician as a disparate narrative in Poe’s work, and The Fall of the House of Usher, which serves as an example of an uncanny story that approaches the fantastic. Having noticed this privileged position, we analyze both here in relation to Todorov’s theory to consider its criteria proposed to the realization of both genres. In the end, we relate the theory of David Roas and the postulations of other authors, such as Mikhail Bakhtin, to discuss the role that certain elements of the configuration of the narrative, such as the position of the reader and the narrator, are related to the theories of the fantastic of Roas and Todorov.