Para além do amor: representations of female identities in a Portuguese writer from the early 20th century

Abstract

In this academic essay, we seek to approach the analysis of the representations of the identities of the female characters in the work of Maria Lamas, Para Além do Amor. Published in 1935, the novel emphasizes the movement towards submission or breaking of established patriarchal norms, established and consolidated in Portuguese society at the beginning of the 20th century. Thus, we deal, among other aspects, with the extramarital relationship, religious education and the roles of mother and wife of the protagonist and narrator of the literary work. The method used was the bibliographic study, based on Foucault (1988, 2014, 2019a, 2019b), to discuss issues such as power relations, will to truth and sexuality; Hall (2006), regarding the concept of identity from the perspective of Cultural Studies; Revel (2011), regarding transgression; Bourdieu (2012) on male domination; Beauvoir (1967) and Butler (2018) to address gender issues, among others. Furthermore, based on a process of differentiation in relation to other characters, the protagonist establishes a dialogue with the historical and social context to which the novel is circumscribed, which culminates in a reflection on gender and social class in identity formation.