ASPECTOS PRAGMÁTICOS DA LEITURA CRÍTICA EM A NOVA CALIFÓRNIA

Abstract

This article belongs to the field of linguistic pragmatics in interface with literature and deals with the process of critical and inferential reading. Its objective is to investigate the inferential reading of the short story A Nova Califórnia based on Relevance Theory, highlighting the processes necessary for understanding the plot. The research is qualitative in nature, as it focuses on subjectivity and aims to contribute to studies of critical reading in Portuguese language classes. The theoretical framework is primarily based on Wilson and  Sperber (2012) to support Relevance Theory, and Cosson (2014) with contributions regarding literary literacy. The corpus of analysis is composed of excerpts from the short story that deal with Flamel's arrival in the town and its impact on social and moral life. The analysis was conducted through detailed and inferential reading, searching for textual clues and implicatures essential for comprehension. The influence of the historical context on the construction of meaning was also considered, emphasizing the importance of the reader's active role. The application of Relevance Theory to the story revealed that inferences about hypocrisy and the construction of social disorder — stimulated by the teacher mediation — promote a balance between interpretative effort and cognitive benefits, shaping an interpretative path toward understanding the central moral tensions of the narrative, a goal achieved through critical reading. It was also found that, particularly in the scene where the townspeople gather in the cemetery, external inferences are activated that relate to the reader's own values, which highlights the complexity of critically reading literary works.