Mulheres, família e loucura em O Funil do Diabo, de Júlia Lopes de Almeida

Abstract

This article discusses the work O Funil do Diabo(2015), writted by Júlia Lopes de Almeida (1862-1934) between the years 1930and 1934. The story is about the disappearance of rolls of money from the safe deposit of Juliana's husband, who seeks to investigate what happened, distrusting people and her own sanity. In the plot, several characters emerge as the reserved stepfather of the protagonist, psychologist who hypnotizes the patients, André, the impulsive husband of Juliana who maintains a factory near the house and also the mother and the cousin of the protagonist, who help her to unveil the alleged crime, not without first becoming part of the intrigues. The atmosphere of mystery is also produced by the geography of the place where the story takes place: the cliff in the vicinity of the house, whose rock formation is called Funil do Diabo. In an investigative and permeated by tensions climate, the novel deals with family conflicts and madness, with the protagonism of women. From a feminist and historical analysis, especially thinking about the medical discourses of the time about madness, I try to analyze the criticisms engendered by the author with the plot and its outcome.