Demonolátrica, socialmente vulnerável e juridicamente oprimida : feminicídio e corpo feminino como locus horribilis em contos de horror brasileiros do século XIX

Abstract

This research analyzes three Brazilian horror short stories from the 19th century: Sem olhos and Um esqueleto, both by Machado de Assis; and Consciência tranquila, by Cruz e Sousa. The hypothesis is that the chosen literary corpus can be interpreted as a historical document that allows an understanding of the complexities of gender violence in Brazil, especially with regard to the patriarchal society's association of the feminine with evil and the demonic; and how this association was used as an excuse for committing domestic violence and femicide, since female morality remained questionable and punishable even by the Brazilian justice system - the very same system that considered legal, until 2023, the thesis of "legitimate defense of honor" as an exclusion of illegality. The research methodology uses a literature review, with the main theoretical references being Georges Minois (2009), Júlio França and Oscar Nestarez (2022) Jean Delumeau (2009), Mary Del Priore (2020) and Gabriela Müller Larocca (2019; 2021), as well as Brazilian legal system (current and former) and recent Supreme Court verdicts. Therefore, the dissertation concluded that the selected literary corpus, even though they are more than 150 years old, are highly pertinent to lecturing about the subjects of violence against women and femicide, thereby demonstrating that the myth of the "demonic woman" has real effects on social life and on women's civil and political rights, in 19th century Brazil as well as in 2025. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]