A literatura como phármakon: ou sobre a curiosidade e transgressão em A Divina Comédia e O Nome da Rosa

Abstract

Fictional narratives offer researchers a wide range of study approaches, among which lies the intersection between literature and philosophy. Based on this premise, this thesis aims to analyze the topics of writing, literature, and intertextuality through the lens of curiosity, primarily grounded in the notion of phármakon. To achieve this goal, the thesis is divided into three chapters: firstly, the theme of writing is explored through the myth of Theuth and Thamus used by Plato in Phaedrus and by Jacques Derrida in Plato's Pharmacy, and the criticisms of this type of discourse; in the second chapter, our focus shifts to the accusations made against literature over time, with a discussion on the forms of control that regulate it; finally, a comparative study is conducted between the architectural spaces created in two works with inexhaustible literary potential – The Name of the Rose (2022) by Umberto Eco and The Divine Comedy (2019) by Dante Alighieri – through the concepts of heterotopia and polarization, also drawing on Georges Bataille’s concepts and Michel Foucault’s studies. This chapter includes an intertextual study, with emphasis on the manifestations of excess present in the works, particularly curiosity. Our theoretical framework centers on concepts derived from studies on writing, literature, and intertextuality primarily developed by Plato, Jacques Derrida, Georges Bataille, and William Marx, supported by Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben, Roger Caillois, Gérard Genette, and Tiphaine Samoyault.