História e barbárie: os usos do passado em Robert E. Howard (1906-1936)

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the uses of the past in the works of Robert E. Howard (1906–1936), creator of Conan the Cimmerian and a prominent figure in American weird fiction. Through a historiographical and interdisciplinary approach, the study focuses on the tensions between civilization and barbarism—a central theme in Howard’s narratives—and seeks to understand how these categories are represented within the literary context of the pulp magazines of the 1920s and 1930s. The primary sources include Howard’s short stories published during his lifetime—especially those featuring Conan—as well as letters, essays, and autobiographical texts. These materials are analyzed through the theoretical perspectives of François Hartog, Reinhart Koselleck, Edward Said, and Paul Ricœur. The research also explores biographical aspects of the author, his networks of sociability, and the cultural and political setting of early 20th-century United States, with particular attention to the Texan context. By articulating the fields of history and literature, the dissertation contributes to the study of historical reception, alterity, identity, and the representation of the “barbarian” in popular culture.