Lucíola: desconstrução de estigmas sociais

Abstract

This research sought to analyze the representation of the female prostitute in the work of José de Alencar, written in 1862 and titled...Lucíola,This research aims to emphasize how the deconstruction of historically created social stigmas is constituted, focusing on those attributed to the female figure. It relates literature to society, conducting literary criticism using sociocriticism and engaging in dialogue with authors who research prostitution, stigma, sexuality, and the female body. This research is characterized as qualitative, interpretive, and bibliographical, as it analyzes how the character Lúcia is constructed through the social, historical, and economic conditions that lead her to prostitution. Considering the analyses carried out, it was noted that the author, Alencar, seeks to humanize the main character, giving her a voice through subjectivity, showing the marks of suffering and the desire for forgiveness. There is a parallel universe when it comes to the society of the time, since it was found that the same society that condemns is the one that benefits from the prostitution to which the character submits. Thus, based on discussions by Candido (1976; 2000; 2004), Dolores (2003), and Davidson (1998), it is noted that the work transcends romantic ideas through problematization and the breaking of patterns such as patriarchy.