The history of Brazil, like Cæsar's unforgettable
Gaul, is generally divided into three parts: (I) from
the discovery by the Portuguese in 1500 to the Inde-
pendence in 1822; (2) the independent monarchy, which
lasted until 1889; (3) the republic, 1889 to the present.
This, then, is the centenary year of Brazilian independ-
ence and, as no English book has yet sought to trace the
literary history of the nation, the occasion seems pro-
pitious for such a modest introductory one as this.
The fuller volume which it precedes I hope to have ready
in a few years, as a contribution to the study of the
creative imagination on this side of the Atlantic.

If, in any part, I seem dogmatic, I can but plead the
exigencies of space, which permit of little analytic dis-
cussion. I am no believer in clear-cut formulæ as ap-
plied to art; where facts are presented, they are given
as succinctly as possible, while opinions are meant to
be suggestive rather than--ugly word!--definitive.
The first part of the book is devoted to an outline history
of Brazilian literature; this is meant to provide the
background for a proper appreciation of the representa-
tive figures treated in the second part. Since the first
part deals largely with facts, I have aimed to give the
reader not solely a personal view--which belongs
more properly among the essays of the second--but
also a digest of the few authorities that have treated
the subject. It thus forms a reasonably adequate in-
troduction to the deeper study of Brazilian literature
that may some day interest a portion of our student
body, and will, moreover, be of aid in rounding out
the sharp corners of a general knowledge of letters.
More important still, it should help to an appreciation

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