The Timorese oral tradition (re)constructed by the literary: a Proppian analysis of the short story “Lakuwatu e o rei dos morcegos” by Geraldo Costa

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze the short story “Lakuwatu e o rei dos morcegos” by the Brazilian writer Geraldo Costa, published by FTD, in the collection A ilha do crocodilo: contos e lendas do Timor-Leste (2012), illustrated by Maurício Negro, having as its premise the elucidation of the Timorese oral tradition reconstructed by the literary, based on the postulates of Russian folklorist and structuralist Vladimir Propp in Morfologia do conto maravilhoso (2001), as well as on the study by Vicente Paulino (2017) on the representation of Timorese identity from their legends and tales transmitted orally throughout time.