Bakhtinian literary polyphony

a reading of José Saramago's Cain

Abstract

This article aims to read Cain, José Saramago's last novel, in the light of Mikhail Bakhtin's theoretical writings on polyphony. Furthermore, it aims to discuss the polyphonic characteristic often attributed to the Portuguese author, which goes against the definitions postulated by the Russian theorist. In order to expose this problematic, some authors besides Bakhtin himself will be used, such as Lucas Maciel and Paulo Bezerra, who contribute to a better understanding of Bakhtinian concept of polyphony that, in its origin, is strictly literary and directed to the analysis of Dostoevsky's aesthetic specificities. Thus, based on what is postulated by Bakhtin, it is argued that Cain, due to its formal characteristics, is organized as a monologic novel and not polyphonic, given the aesthetic determinations of José Saramago.