A amiga genial: leituras do tempo

The discussion presented in this article is supported by a principle put forward by Hewson (2010: 509) “(...) Grammar is where marker and meaning, form and function, meet (...)”. In other words, we try to find meaning in the forms and grammatical constructions that characterize Elena Ferrante's tetralogy L'amica geniale (“My brilliant friend”). The identification of the connection among the different ‘stories’ contained in this novel is the basis used for describing the values of grammatical tenses (notably in EP). The guidelines in which the analysis of the grammatical forms and constructions was based, is inspired by Henriqueta Costa Campos research work on tense and modality in Portuguese.