Vingtième Siècle. Revue d'histoire - Année 1990 - Volume 25 - Numéro 1 - Pages 29-36Self-portraits of Brazil, Mario Carelli. Like all discourses on national identity, the quest for Brazilianity , that one can follow through the writings of the intellectuals, poets and novelists, suffers from a two-fold weakness. One weakness is due to its object : national character is more easily described than defined. The other cornes from the ephemeral and ideologically dubious dimension of the concept's références, in particular racial criteria. But that is how Brazil Brazilianized itelf, particularly because this perpetual reflexion on the Brazilian, is embodied in major works of fiction. 8 pages Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.