Machado de Assis in the Teaching of Portuguese as a Heritage Language: an Experience at Clube dos Brasileirinhos

Clube dos Brasileirinhos
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Machado de Assis no Ensino de Português como Língua de Herança: uma experiência no Clube dos Brasileirinhos

In October 2023, Clube dos Brasileirinhos participated in the 6th European Symposium on the Teaching of Portuguese as a Heritage Language (SEPOLH), with a presentation by teacher Luana Brunetto Caron. The session shared a project developed with our adolescent students, highlighting the use of classical Brazilian literature as a support for teaching Portuguese as a Heritage Language (PHL).

Building on Antonio Candido’s reflection on the humanising role of literature, understood as an aesthetic construction, a form of expression, and a source of knowledge, the project demonstrated how literary texts can go beyond language teaching by promoting critical thinking, cultural awareness, and identity development.

The Students

The activities involved students aged 12 to 16 who have attended the Clube for several years. They have strong Portuguese language skills and a solid cultural background. Some have even taken the GCSE in Portuguese. This was a mature group, well prepared to engage with complex texts and the social critiques present in realist literature.

Why Machado de Assis?

During the project term, the main theme was "Brazilian Personalities" with a subtheme of "Brazilian Authors." Machado de Assis naturally emerged as one of the most important figures in Brazilian literature, often compared to William Shakespeare for the psychological depth and universality of his works.

We focused on The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas, originally published in 1881, a landmark of Brazilian Realism. The novel offers an innovative narrative, a deceased narrator, and sophisticated social critique, elements that resonated strongly with our students.

Project Activities

The project began with an introduction to Machado de Assis’ life and works, as well as the social and historical context of his writing. We explored the literary period of Realism, its main characteristics, and the author’s unique style, marked by irony, metanarrative, and social critique.

To support comprehension and expand cultural knowledge, we also used comic adaptations of the novel. As Brízzida Caldeira (2021) notes, comics can activate prior knowledge and introduce new cultural aspects in PHL teaching. This resource allowed students to access the classic text without simplifying it, serving as a bridge for deeper discussion.

Characters were analysed from various perspectives: Brás Cubas and his approach to life; Virgília and her choices; Eugênia and issues of prejudice; Marcela and what she symbolised; Lobo Neves and power; Brás Cubas’ father and greed; Dona Plácida and secrecy; and Dona Euzébia and care. These analyses encouraged debates about values, ambition, social hypocrisy, and power relations, connecting a 19th-century novel to contemporary reflections.

Storytelling and Persuasive Language

One key strategy was storytelling with movement, inspired by the "stepping the story" technique. While narrating certain events, students paired gestures with the situations described. For example, when Brás Cubas travelled to Portugal, they opened their arms to simulate the journey. This approach enhanced memorisation, oral skills, and active engagement with the text.

We also explored persuasive language, analysing its features and objectives through videos and short explanatory texts. This stage was essential to prepare the final project outcome.

Final Project: a Literary Trial

For the culmination, students participated in a fictional trial with the question: "Who broke Brás Cubas’ heart?" They proposed potential culprits and chose roles including judge, prosecution, defence, and witnesses. Each student developed arguments, crafted a script, and collaborated on the presentation. The final session showcased clear reasoning, conscious use of persuasive language, and a deep understanding of the text.

Literature as a Right and a Bridge

This experience demonstrates that classical Brazilian literature has a vital place in teaching Portuguese as a Heritage Language. Far from being inaccessible, it can be mediated with appropriate strategies, respecting students’ language level and maturity.

By working with Machado de Assis, we fostered not only linguistic development but also critical thinking, cultural enrichment, and a stronger connection to Brazilian heritage.

As Antonio Candido reminds us, literature is a right. For our students who live between languages and cultures, it is also an essential bridge to understanding Brazil, themselves, and the wider world.

Congratulations to teacher Luana Brunetto Caron for presenting this inspiring practice at SEPOLH 2023, reinforcing Clube dos Brasileirinhos’ commitment to excellent, culturally meaningful teaching.