O lugar das crônicas:

a literatura do cotidiano para a História

Abstract

The present text aims to promote a reflection on the interpretations of literature for historical studies, taking into account different ways of approaching literary sources. It presents a historiographical debate on the use of historical sources and historians' interpretations, and finally shifts the focus to chronicles—a type of literature often considered minor but which allows the historian to engage with the everyday life of the past. By addressing some basic questions regarding the use of literary sources, reflecting on the paths of history and literature as forms of telling/narrating the past, and discussing the relationship between reality and fiction, this text seeks to explore the potential of literature as a historical source. Furthermore, it focuses specifically on chronicles—texts written to be read in everyday life, found in the pages of daily newspapers to this day, and meant to be forgotten the next day. Yet, they preserve the daily life of the past and open doors for researchers interested in ordinary life.