A poética de Geras/Velhice: da poesia grega antiga à refiguração em Vozes femininas contemporâneas

Abstract

The thesis proposes a comparative analysis of the representations of Geras (Old Age) in two distinct poetic corpora. The first part investigates the representation of old age in Ancient Greece, based on poetic production between the 8th and 5th centuries BC, where Geras designates not only advanced age, but also concepts of honor, prestige, abandonment and physical decline, in predominantly male writing (with the exception of the poet Sappho). We thus seek to delineate how Ancient Greek Literature constructed the figure of the elderly: frequently associated with wisdom (as advisor or tutor) or with fragility and uselessness (becoming a ward), proceeding from a privileged social stratum. For the construction of these figurations, we resorted to an investigative reading of the mentioned Greek poetic corpus, with the help of the perspectives of Torrano, Pompeu, Ragusa, and Brunhara. The second part of the study investigated the refiguration of old age in contemporary poetry written by women in the Portuguese language, using as a reference the works of Cora Coralina, Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, Hilda Hilst, Adélia Prado, and Conceição Evaristo (also through investigative reading), published from the age of 40 onwards. This section explores how these poets subvert and redefine the experience of aging, from the perspective of gender and personal experience. The analysis focuses on how old age is resignified in a time of self-knowledge, resistance, memory, freedom, and a return to the myth of the Great Mother, contrasting with the vision of the Greek tradition, sometimes more fatalistic or centered on decline. The theoretical basis of Reception in Classical Studies is centered on Hardwick; the theoretical framework on old age includes Beauvoir, Elias, Bosi, Debert, and Goldenberg; the dialogue on specificities of this second moment included Dalcastagnè, Eisler, and Mucida. The main objective is to demonstrate the continuities and ruptures in the perception of old age, highlighting how literature reflects and shapes cultural attitudes towards this phase of life, and how the contemporary female voice introduces new perspectives on aging.