Or what is Cordel's Literature? Origin, characteristics and examples

A string literature is an artistic manifestation that combines various elements, such as writing, orality and woodcutting.

This Brazilian cultural expression is typical of the northeast of the country, more precisely the regions of Paraíba, Pernambuco, Pará, Alagoas, Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará.

This type of literature is used from leaflets that are traditionally sold in popular festivals.

What is the origin of string literature?

A cordel literature é uma das heranças lusitanas that we hurt. It arose in Portugal by volta do seculo XII, as medieval troubadour.

Nessa era haviam artists who declaim stories sung for the public, seen that or illiteracy was practically generalized and some forms of transmission of knowledge and fun were through the oralidade.

Later, I don't know XV and XVI, no Revival, it is created for the press, or that it is possible to print faster and in quantity of non-paper texts.

From now on, the stories that were only told orally by troubadours, will be recorded in folhets and taken as streets, hung in cordage.

cordéis, as I know in Portugal. At the beginning, theater pieces were also impressed nesses livretos, as for example the works of the Portuguese writer Gil Vicente.

Then, as two Portuguese came to the country, he also saw the practice of literature on the string, which was installed in the northeast. Dessa form, I do not know XVIII this cultural expression is solidified in Brazil.

Important figures for the popularization of cordel são os repentistas, vioiros who sang rhymed stories in public places, in a similar way to or that faziam os old troubadours.

Nordestino cord characteristics

O Northeastern string feared as a mark an irreverent and colloquial way of telling such stories. It uses the simplicity of the regional language, or that it becomes an expression of easy understanding for the general population.

Recurrent themes in cordel literature

As narratives usually contain fantastic stories of regional people or situations everyday life, tracing lendas of folklore, political themes, sociais, religiosidade, profane themes, among others.

Woodcut no string

Another characteristic that stands out is the use of printed illustrations in our pages, which serve to illustrate the stories. These are done by using, mainly, the woodcut technique.

In this method, the figures are made from a woody matrix inlay, which receives a fine layer of ink and depois and "carimbada" not paper, transferring in the same way or drawing.

As woodcuts become a brand of two sheets of string, and have a fairly proper aesthetic, with large contrasts, simplified shapes, intense use of cor preta and many times to presença two veios of madeira no result final.

Oralidade, metrica e rima no cordel

Orality is also a very important element in string literature. It is through the declamation that the rope-maker fully expresses himself and communicates as the public.

In spite of being a popular and colloquial expression, or string has a specific metric, like the use of verses, and also requires the use of rhymes. Being also, it is necessary to have a lot of creativity, technique and sagacity to be a good rope player.

Poets and string poems

São muitos os artists of string in the northeast of Brazil. Some two things that stand out are:

• Apolônio Alves dos Santos
• Cego Aderaldo
• Firmino Teixeira do Amaral
• João Ferreira of Lima
• João Martins de Athayde
• Manoel Monteiro
• Leandro Gomes de Barros
• Jose Alves Sobrinho
• Homero do Rego Barros
• Patativa do Assaré (Antônio Gonçalves da Silva)
• Téo Azevedo
• Gonçalo Ferreira da Silva

Conheça a little of the history and relevance of two poets, also as an example of a poem by each one.

Leandro Gomes de Barros (1865-1918)

O Paraibano Leandro Gomes de Barros was recognized as the greatest two popular poets of the XIX century. So much so that, on his anniversary, November 19, it was named as "Dia do cordelista", in homage to this great artist.

As works Or dinheiro, O testament of the puppy and Or dig that defecates dinheiro foram inspiration for the writer Ariano Suassuna compor Or self pity.

E o bad e o frimento

Se eu conversasse com Deus
I would ask him:
Why do we fry so much
When do we see pra Cá?
How funny is that
That people were afraid to die to pay?
I would ask too
Like what ele and ugly
That he does not sleep, that he does not eat
And yet he lives satisfied.
Why was it ele não fez
To people of the same jeito?
Because there are happy ones
What are the others who sofrem so much?
We are born from the same jeito,
We dwell not the same song.
Quem foi temperar or choro
And did you end up going out or pranto?

You can also be interested in: Auto da Compadecida, by Ariano Suassuna

Patativa do Assaré (1909-2002)

Antônio Gonçalves da Silva, or Patativa do Assaré, was an essential figure for popular poetry and string literature. Born in Ceará, Patativa was from a poor family and worked on the rocks.

He never left his native land, the same as what happened through his art.

Read me too: Northeast Cordel: Important Poems

Other examples of small cordéis

See more poems of string literature.

1. Todos os caminhos, by Marco Aurélio

Pra quem nasceu pra viver
no pregação that serves
pra quem nasceu pra morrer
lacks to create our life
e se não fosse o sermão
it would be read cão
com passagem only one way.
The same I never claim
give life that is owed to me
não assinei promissória
meu prazo is not due
how long i live estiver
faço meus queréqueque
bem longe de quem morreu.
Se você for de igreja
I lose myself to petulância
no credit no céu
it could be ignorance
more eu prefer viver
sem mais fortuna want
what this extravagance.
Menino, prepare for life
ruim news chega
that world is lotado
what do you want to chegar no fim
pois eu mesmo quero é mais
I want to go back
e se es esqueça la de mim.

2. A Magia das Chuvas, by Dalinha Catunda

When towers do nascente
Don't start going up
Or Northeast rejoices,
Fica happy to laugh.
It is sinal that a chuva expected
I am not going to delay falling.
When it gets dark,
Or I am grateful,
Increase your prayers.
From prayer to prayer
Go to chuva molhar or chão
That of umidade lacks.
It is water everywhere,
I'm very frog to coax,
Vegetação wearing green,
It is winter to check.
The hope sprouting,
No chão do meu Ceará.
Or farmer eat enxada
Cantarola caminho hair.
A rolinha acasalada
Na arvore ajeita seu ninho.
Or gado pasta for gosto,
Gorjeiam os passarinhos.
É tempo of joy,
É tempo de plantação,
Mais um little na panela,
Milho and feijão invoice
And winter and life nova,
Chegando ao meu sertão.
It only knows, it gives joy,
Give water molhando or chão,
Quem, like eu, já morou
The bands of the sertão,
And I saw inclement dry
Queimando or seu torrão.

3. Attachment of Tangedor, by Jessier Quirino

Vaqueiro that é bom vaqueiro
Cabôco worker
It sticks pela boiada
Na life as a tanger
Pulum boi, puluma vaca
Veve naquela fuzaca
Num caused great love.
Com Nena de Zé de Shell
E com a vaquinha Amarela
Divide your paixão
Chama na xinxa to donzela
Bem distant da cancels
Pra do not see betrayal.
Adoece by avexo
I sell or patrão sem love
Negotiate to boiada
Mode buy a trator
Chora no pé da cancel
For sale to vaquinha Amarela
Saindo pro matador.

How does a cordel appear and quais types of poetics in cordel literature?

To make a string, it is necessary to follow some rules. This literature is structured in the format of rhymed verses, also, its poetics can be a feita de algumas maneiras. Namely:

• Quadra - stanzas containing 4 verses
• Sextile - stanza containing 6 verses
• Septilha - stanza containing 7 verses
• Oitava - stanza containing 8 verses
• Quadrão - Nesse type of string the verses or the following form: the first 3 rimam each other, or 4th and 8th day same form rimam each other, as well as 5th, 6th and 7th.
• Tenth - stanza with 10 verses
• Hammer it - stanzas feitas with decassyllables

You will be leaving the poem soon, you can create a string sheet in the structure of zine. It is possible to complement it with illustrations in woodcut, or even to elaborate designs with preta ink. This is an interesting activity to provide for children and adolescents.

Video about cordel e a xylogravura literature

J. Borges is another important person for string literature, especially his work in woodcut. See more about this art in the material below.

Don't stop here! Access other texts that we prepare for you:

• Livro Vidas Secas, by Graciliano Ramos
• Patativa do Assaré: analyzed poems
• Os maiores poems by João Cabral de Melo Neto
• Morte e Vida Severina, by João Cabral de Melo Neto
• Quadro Retirantes, by Cândido Portinari
• Ariano Suassuna: life and work
• Works to conhequer cordel literature