Entre a corte e o sertão: a figura feminina em obras de Gil Vicente e Patativa do Assaré

Abstract

This thesis presents a comparative analysis of the works of Gil Vicente (16th-century Portuguese Court) and Patativa do Assaré (20th-century Ceará Sertão), examining the similarities and differences in the representation of the female figure to demonstrate how, across vastly different sociocultural contexts, poetry and theater converge in their critique of dominant structures. Grounded in the methodology of Comparative Literature and qualitative research, the investigation is theoretically supported by Simone de Beauvoir (1980) and Joan Scott (1990) regarding the social construction of gender; Paul Zumthor (1997) and Peter Burke (2010) for the understanding of orality and popular culture; and Antonio Candido (2006) and Pierre Bourdieu (2002) concerning the social function of literature and symbolic domination. From the analysis of these works, it is observed that in both authors, the female figure emerges as a symbol of resistance and an instrument for denouncing injustice; the woman is utilized as a critical mirror that exposes the moral and social hypocrisies of their respective eras. However, fundamental differences lie in the perspective: in Vicentian theater, women are frequently represented through a moralizing and patriarchal lens, often associated with sin and punishment, whereas in Patativan poetry, the woman of the Sertão is portrayed as a figure of beauty, courage, and faith, situated within a context of struggle and humanization that transcends regionalism. Consequently, the study concludes that popular poetry and dramaturgy act as channels of legitimacy that give voice to the marginalized subject, reinforcing the value of literature as a tool for understanding and transforming social reality and highlighting the role of popular production in amplifying female voices.