"Na orla cinzenta do horizonte": o espaço ficcional de Maria Firmina dos Reis (1859-1917)

Abstract

Maria Firmina dos Reis was a writer, teacher and composer from Maranhão (1825-1917). Her first published work, Úrsula (1859), is considered the first anti-slavery novel from Brazil. This work aims to investigate the fictional space in the Maria Firmina dos Reis’ literature. For this, the present research investigates the context in which the author lived: Maranhão in the 19th century and the space occupied by her in literature and the press. This work relates Firmina dos Reis' experiences as a black woman with the construction of her literary space with the objective of analyzing the black and female protagonism in her works. The main sources listed for this investigation are the novel Úrsula (1859) and the short stories A escrava (1887) and Gupeva (1861). As sources of comparison are used the 19th century Maranhão newspapers, as well as the write's diary called O Álbum. This research looks the literature as a fictional space by the concept of Luís Santos and Silvana Oliveira. This work consider the space built through writing as a place for the subject to act in which her experiences overflow in literary representations too. Conceição Evaristo and Jacques Derrida think this system of representations linked to the subject’s experiences and their contributions are relevant to this work. This research also thinks the literature as a political space based on the considerations of René Rémond, Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. It seeks to understand how Firmina dos Reis represents 19h century society in her literature, especially with regard to women and black people, as well as the possible criticisms that may arise from her plots, in view of her condition as a black woman in Brazil in the 19th century.