The paths of salvation and eternal condemnation: The presence of the allegory in the History of the Elected Pilgrim and his Brother Precito (1682), de Alexandre de Gusmão

Abstract

The repercussions of the echoes of the Council of Trent (1546-1563), the Counter Reform movement, and the repercussions they had on the artistic production in the Catholic world. The pedagogical-didactic intents behind its composition are grounded on the belief that art could be an effective tool for reconverting of the faithful and for indoctrination in the values of the Catholic faith. Considering that, this paper aims at presenting the way allegory became an important tool for the interpretation and construction of religious discourse, as we can see in the History of the Elected Pilgrim and his Brother Precito. The book is an allegorical narrative that presents the history of two pilgrim brothers born in Egypt from where they set out with the intention of making a fortune (one brother goes to Jerusalem, and the  other one goes to Babylon). In this way, the book presents continuity with the medieval pattern that highlights the journey, especially the path for salvation. The readiness of allegory to transmit abstract concepts through concrete visualizations allied to a form of indirect expression made it a powerful, didactic, apologetic, and entertaining tool for that time.