ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides fresh theoretical and pedagogical material for Brazilian Studies courses, an area much in need of a bibliographical update. Contemporary Brazilian literature offers a vast array of works preoccupied with the violation of human rights and with the presentation of ethical issues, written especially during and after the military dictatorship period (1964–1975). The primary works analyzed and the critical essays of Literature and Ethics in Contemporary Brazil share a belief in the relevance of humanities as a catalyst for rethinking Brazil. They demonstrate a bold resistance to the official discourses that have operated for so long to conceal social tensions, injustices and secular inequities within Brazilian society. The book situates Brazilian literature away from the exotic and peripheral spectrum and closer to a universal and more relevant ethical discussion for readers from all parts of the world.
