Representations of catastrophe victims in contemporary narrative journalism

Abstract

In this paper, we study representations of catastrophe victims in two contemporary journalistic narratives in Brazil: Todo dia a mesma noite by Daniela Arbex and Tragédia em Mariana by Cristina Serra. We first study the meaning and uses of the word victim to describe the types of victims in the narratives. Our analysis of both narratives focuses on the victims. We aim to understand how the storytelling in each narrative develops the victims' stories. The results of the analysis point to different narrative projects and, as a result, to different ethical positions regarding the representation of victims. Arbex's work focuses on trauma as an emotional nucleus which all characters (and possibly the reader) suffer from. Investigating the catastrophe is the main focus in Serra's work, with the stories of those who died told through the memory of those who survive them, who seek justice, and who look to rebuild their lives.