O RETRATO DA MULHER NO ROMANCE “AMOR DE PERDIÇÃO” DE CAMILO CASTELO BRANCO

Abstract

This article aims to reflect on the role of women in Camilo Castelo Branco's novel Love of Perdition (1862), situated within the context of the ultra-romantic phase of 19th-century Portuguese Romanticism, which highlights the patriarchal oppression and power relations that permeated the society of the time. The work, in addition to narrating an impossible love between Simão Botelho and Teresa de Albuquerque, denounces hypocrisy and religious contradictions, abuse of power, gender violence, and the manipulation of men according to their own interests. Based on the critical analyses of Pavanelo (2012), Schwamborn and Nogueira (2020), as well as the theoretical assumptions of Louro (2003) and Butler (2018), the study highlights the presence and relevance of female voices which, although frequently silenced and subjected to physical and psychological violence, play a fundamental role in the narrative structure of the novel. Furthermore, cases like that of Teresa, subjected to pressure and the deprivation of her autonomy until her last breath; and of Rita Preciosa and Ritinha, victims of aggression and restrictions imposed by authoritarian male figures, exemplify the timeless nature of the gender violence portrayed. Thus, the research demonstrates that the work transcends its time, as it still engages with the current reality, in which women face societal silencing, aggression, and limitations on their autonomy. Therefore, Love of Perdition reveals itself as a literary expression that represents human relationships, because in addressing such realities it portrays structural problems that still permeate society.

KEYWORDS: Portuguese Literature; Romanticism; Feminist Criticism; Camilo Castelo Branco; Love of Perdition.