Uma é a escritora, outra, a mulher: um estudo sobre as duas facetas da personagem feminina em Lésbia (1890), de Maria Benedita Câmara Bormann (Délia)

Abstract

During the Nineteenth century, the education that Brazilian women belonging to the socioeconomic elite received was primarily designed to make them an exemplary mother and wife. However, with the modernization of the Brazilian Empire and aiming for national development, a better education became necessary, including for women. Thus, some of them were better educated and, from this knowledge construction, they could question their life models. Throughout this period, the Brazilian press and publishing market developed effectively; however, this literary space was quite closed to women writers who intended to write and publish. Today, we know that, despite these difficulties in her education and social life, notable women became writers in the 19th century. Among them was the name of Maria Benedita Câmara Bormann, known as Délia, a widely published writer in 19th century Rio de Janeiro, although today there is almost no access to her work or records of her work in literary compendia. Therefore, the present dissertation aims to ponder on how the female character is configured in the novel Lésbia, published in 1890 by Delia. At the center of the plot, we have Arabela, who becomes a writer, participating in the publishing market of the late nineteenth century, besides experiencing several love relationships throughout the narrative. Thus, our reading of the female figure surrounds two aspects: the representation of the female writer in 19th century Brazil and, then, we analyze Arabela through the bias of her love life and affectivities, elements that make Bormann's prose ahead of its time. To fulfill these specific objectives, we anchor ourselves in studies on the history of Brazilian women, with a focus on those belonging to the wealthier class (VERONA, 2013; SANTOS, 2010, D'INCAO, 2018), studies on female sexuality and affectivity (DEL PRIORE, 2014), on the history of the Brazilian book market of the century in question (EL FAR, 2006, 2010), and on narrative fiction (CANDIDO, 2018; LEITE, 1985). As a result, we believe that currently there is still a need to revise the official literary historiography, because if names like Delia's - a writer who helped consolidate Brazilian literature - are erased, a revision that rescues the names of our first female writers is necessary. In this way, we will be able to make use of a more egalitarian literary history.