“Joana e os três pecados” : o feminino nos contos de Maria Helena Chein

Abstract

This work aims to discuss and analyze how women are represented in the book "Joana e os três pecados" (1983), by Maria Helena Chein. The aim is to understand how these characters face the Other, represented by the male gender, and how Chein addresses these dynamics in his narratives, promoting a reflection that transcends the literary text. This is a theoretical, descriptive and analytical research, which adopts literature review and the deductive method as methodology. The statements about the object of study are based on hypotheses and comparative studies of the short stories, comparing texts and readings to identify common elements. To this end, this research was divided into three chapters. The first is a study of Goian literature, its origins and some of its main exponents, in particular those written by Maria Helena Chein. A synthesis of her critical fortune was also carried out, with the aim of demonstrating that the portrayal of the feminine, in her work as a whole, has not yet been sufficiently explored by reception. In the following chapter, Maria Helena Chein's refined writing technique, the aesthetic composition of her books and her subtle and original perspective on the female condition are investigated. Finally, in the third chapter, the composition of the short stories is analyzed, highlighting elements of their structure, separating them into groups that present similar characteristics. In this sense, a connection was established between the female characters that inhabit short stories Joana e os três pecados, with the aim of achieving a global understanding of the work and identifying a uniformity in the experiences of these women. To support the investigation, among others, theorists such as Luciana Borges (2013), Karl Erik Schøllhammer (2009), Alfredo Bosi (2006), Julio Cortázar (2006), Moema de Castro e Silva Olival (1992), Naomi Wolf (1992), Elisabeth Badinter (1985) and Simone de Beauvoir (1970, 1967) were used. With this thematic focus, we intended to shed new light on Goian literature produced and represented by women, exploring their contributions and the representations of the feminine in their texts. By putting her ideas on paper, Maria Helena Chein reveals her feminine essence and her delicacy, while at the same time conveying the expectation of freedom and emancipation, in which women will have the courage and power to go further and break with the historical bonds that imprison them.