The opening wings of the maned wolf

Stereotype and subjectivity in Maria Valéria Rezende

Abstract

This research seeks to analyze the representation of female prostitution in the work of Maria Valéria Rezende, "O voo da guará Vermelha” (2014). The novel brings the careful construction of the protagonist Irene, through a subjective bias, subverting the usual narratives about characters who perform sexual work. The focus of the analysis is the process of construction of the "self" of the prostitute character, taking into account the characteristics that corroborate the development of identity. Throughout the text, various aspects that contribute to the rupture of the stereotype in literary representation, issues that involve the female body, the transformation into merchandise and other labels attributed to sex workers, little-known individuals from the erotic underworld. In this sense, the novel will approach the stereotype as an anchor for its own annulment, thus exposing its roots and contradictions.The elements that support the character's identity, in turn, oppose the strength of the stereotype and cement its humanization. The author uses resources such as memory and intimate narrative, which seek to recover the protagonism of the prostitute, a stigmatized figure both in society and in literature, and her recognition as a subject. Through memories and streams of consciousness, the character's identity is constituted, exposing their desires, dreams, feelings and fears, without there being a propensity to victimization or condemnation. In this way, we will look at the manifestations of a subjective representation, demonstrating how it intrinsically confronts the stereotype. To do this, we will rely on reference authors such as Homi Bhabha, Pierre Bourdieu, Aleida Assmann and Judith Butler.