An analysis of the problem of literary criticism as a privileged form in the cultural production of Antonio Tabucchi’s novel Afirma Pereira

Abstract

In this paper I analyze the relations between literary criticism and culture, in order
to identify the functions of the former and whether it should take part in political, social and economical spheres. This analysis starts from my reading of Antonio Tabucchi’s novel Afirma Pereira and intends to establish an analogy between the character’s itinerary along the narrative with the critical literature and the theoretical postulates by authors such as Matthew Arnold, Hommi Bhabha and Edward Said.