As vampiras de Aluísio Azevedo: uma leitura gótica dos romances O homem (1887) e A mortalha de Alzira (1894)

Abstract

This dissertation studies the novels O homem (1887) and A mortalha de Alzira (1894), by Aluísio Azevedo, from a Gothic-naturalist perspective. Traditionally, naturalist novels are considered "experimental works" inspired by medical-scientific discourse, far removed from the atmosphere of terror and irrationality associated with the Gothic of the previous century. In this context, it is usual to study the themes of hysteria, sexuality, anticlericalism, or even the licentious aspects that, in their time, made these narratives sales successes. In our research, we did not find an abundance of sources that propose to think about the Gothic in the works of Aluísio Azevedo. In this sense, thinking about the Gothic in O homem and A mortalha de Alzira points to an innovative horizon for studies of naturalist fiction and its greatest representative in Brazil. By establishing a dialogue between naturalism and the Gothic, we are able to focus on the figure of the vampire. Thus, our main goal is to study the presence of the psychic, or emotional, vampire in the characterization of the protagonists of the works: Madalena and Alzira. As theoretical contributions, we rely on the studies of Luiz Nazario (1998), Maria Conceição Monteiro (2004), J. Gordon Melton (2003), Claude Lecouteux (2005), Isabel Rodrigues (2010), Marina Sena (2017), Roberto Sicuteri (1998), Barbara Koltuv (2017), among others.