The HOUSE AS CONFINEMENT OF THE FEMALE BODY IN MARIETTA TELLES MACHADO

Abstract

This paper studies the short story “Crônica da velha casa”, written by Marietta Telles Machado, a writer from Goiás, in her collection Narrativas do Cotidiano, published in 1978. This writer is situated in the field of Brazilian literature written by women, the author critically addresses gender issues and power relations in her narratives. Considering space as a fundamental element in the field of Literary Studies, the main objective of this text is to discuss the relationships between the domestic space and the female body in the plot. For this, first, it offers theoretical considerations on space and the main characteristics of the writer’s literary style are presented, marked by sensitivity to human experiences. Subsequently, through an analytical-interpretative method and an ecofeminist perspective, it is observed that the house is imposed as a place of confinement for the protagonist, reflecting loneliness and abandonment. In this way, the importance of reflections on the female condition in the face of patriarchal power is understood.