Os imaginários medieval e celta como resíduo: representações femininas n´O Romance de Tristão e Isolda

Abstract

This research adopts a qualitative approach, with a bibliographical and analytical-descriptive nature, and has as its object of study The Romance of Tristan and Isolde, by Joseph Bédier, published in 1900. The central objective is to reflect on the role of women and the values of other cultures present in the narrative. Other investigative goals include analyzing the legendary and mythical character of the work, the presence of courtly love and passionate love, and the representation of figures from the medieval imaginary, such as the knight and the lady. The methodology applied is based on the Theory of Residuality, systematized by Roberto Pontes, which focuses on defining the concepts of residue, imaginary, mentality, and endoculturation, relating them to culture and literature. This study is grounded in a socio-historical analysis, guided by core concepts and authors organized into the following categories: the representation of women in Celtic and medieval cultures; courtly love and passionate love; and the imaginaries of lady and witch associated with the protagonist Isolde. Regarding the theoretical framework on residuality, we highlight Pontes (2006, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020), Moreira (2022), Torres (2015, 2016), and Martins (2012, 2020). For analyses on Celtic culture, we draw on Barros (1996), Neiva (2014), Wood (2011), Furtado (2003), Knight (2003), Tatar (2013), Barry (2013), Isarnos and Amaro (2014), Franco Júnior (2010), Ferraz (1960), Jacobs (2013), Grimm (2013), and Seneween (2014). Regarding the Middle Ages, the key references include Franco Júnior (2006), Oliveira (1997), Le Goff (2016), Duby (1992, 1995), Mongelli (2018), and Neiva (2014). To discuss courtly love and passionate love, we rely on Singer (1992), Huizinga (2021), Johnson (1997), Loyn (1997), Lobato (2012), Rougemont (2003), and Capelão (2019). For the study of the representation of women in Celtic and medieval cultures, as well as the imaginaries of lady and witch, we reference Barros (2001), Russel (2019), Federici (2017), Macedo (1999), Vainfas (1992), Perrot (2019), Black (2022), Haywood (2022), Campbell (2015), Lemaire (1994), Duby (1989, 2013), Russel and Alexander (2019), Byington (2015), Buckland (2019), and Le Goff (2021). The Romance of Tristan and Isolde derives from numerous spoken and written variants by authors from different times, and Bédier reconstructs the narrative from several versions, bringing together many elements that merge, revealing diverse imaginaries from various cultures. With this study, we aim to contribute to a multi-meaningful reading of the work, one that transcends its analysis merely as a chivalric romance or reduces it to a simplistic Celtic or medieval legend, or even as the mere story of an adulterous love. The Romance of Tristan and Isolde, reconstructed by Bédier from oral and written variants, incorporates multiple cultural elements that reveal the fusion of diverse imaginaries.