DISSERTATIONS 2013

THE FEMININE IN DOM CASMURRO: A JUNGIAN READING OF ITS CHARACTERS

Lilian Garcia de Paula

Advisor:Prof. Dr. Durval Luiz de Faria
Keywords: analytical psychology; Jung; literature; Machado de Assis; Dom Casmurro; feminine.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this dissertation is to understand the expression of the feminine retracted in the work Dom Casmurro (1899) by Machado de Assis, through the analysis of the characters of the book, their psychic dynamics and the relationship between man and woman. The dissertation was conducted based on Jungian approach and was used a qualitative research methodology. The book Dom Casmurro has been read and mapped to perform the synopsis and analysis of its characters and contexts. The analysis was divided into three stages and was focused on the feminine characters, the matter of the anima to the male characters and the relationship between Capitu and Bentinho. The research suggests that the patriarchal culture in Brazil of the nineteenth century, femininity and masculinity could not be fully lived, with both women and men wearing a mask for the expected socially to their genders inhibiting deeper experiences of their personalities. In this way aspects of femininity in women characters and aspects of the anima in men had little chance of integration, hindering gender relations. We can think that today are still present the same issues relating to women, since it is a process that is not yet completed in the society.