Didactical genres in the Jesuit literature in the La Plata-region

Abstract

Most studies about the Jesuit literature in the La Plata region up to now focu-sed on a very small number of texts considered the most important ones, as for instance Ruiz de Montoya and Pablo Restivo, or the translation of Nieremberg in Guarani. In our contribution, we will try to take into account lesser-known texts and their didactical use. After establishing the tradition of the didactical dialogue in literature history we will show that texts as the Sermones and Explicación by Yapuguay and some unpublished devotional manuscripts were closely linked to the use in the cofradías in charge of social work and religious education among the Guarani-indians.

Some of these texts obviously have a double function: they were used for the Guaranis’ personal devotion or joint prayers in cofradias’ meetings but at the same time helped the Jesuits themselves to improve their knowledge providing texts in an actualized version of Guarani as the one spoken in the reducciones.