Charles Baudelaire and João do Rio: comparison between the prose poem The Old Acrobat and the chronicle The beggar women

Abstract

This article aims to provide a brief comparison between a chronicle by the Brazilian journalist João do Rio and a prose poem by the French poet Charles Baudelaire, focusing both on the convergence between these two literary genres and on the themes of poverty and beggary present in both texts. The analysis will explore the similarities and differences in how the two authors approach this subject. The literary corpus consists of João do Rio’s chronicle “The beggar women” and Baudelaire’s “The Old Acrobat”. Additionally, a brief examination of the historical context of the Belle Époque, the period in which both writers lived, will be conducted.