Use of subordination and coordination in verses by Brazilian poets

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the use of coordination and subordination in Brazilian poets classified as Parnassians and Symbolists, such as Olavo Bilac, Raimundo Correia, Alberto de Oliveira, Alphonsus de Guimaraens, Cruz e Sousa and Pedro Kilkerry. The research is based on the common idea that Symbolist poets prefer syntactic coordination, while Parnassian poets use subordination more frequently. However, there is a lack of in-depth studies that confirm this perception. Previous research, both manual and computational, has not specifically addressed this topic, making this study a pioneer in the application of computational tools such as the Hyperbase program in analyses of this nature. In relation to the possible results concerning the methodological discussion presented here, that is, close reading and distant reading, such reading strategies have mutually enriched each other. And this happens because the collection of large volumes of data only gains meaning and relevance when integrated into a more in-depth and detailed reading effort, something that can only be done by the researcher, who must be equipped with all their cultural knowledge and also with literary criticism. In this way, numbers cease to be mere abstractions, allowing the researcher to examine and interpret, in a quick and precise manner, very particular details of their objects of study.